December 2018 BUzzette

The

BUzzette AN EXECUTIVE NEWSLETTER

Bicol University, Legazpi City Telefax No. (052) 480-0167 www.bicol-u.edu.ph

DECEMBER 2018 | Vol. X Issue 12

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ISSN 2094-3991

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PRESIDENT’S OUTBOX

To my Dear Bicol University Family: ow, more than ever, in this Season of Hope and Love, I feel the need to express my sincerest gratitude for all that you have done including the various sacrifices you have to make even beyond the bounds of your usual duty. Please know that your efforts have never gone unnoticed. The burdens of the Office may weigh me down a bit from time to time, but your continued support and commitment to our vision throughout the start of our journey from the moment I took the Oath of Office in 2015 until now, has made me more inspired to continue what we have started.

I know there have been times when I had been tough and exacting either with my words or actions. Perhaps, there have been times when I was unwittingly moved to be much too strict than necessary or too indecisive when I should have been more decisive. But know that there are things a leader must do to advance the vision of the organization and the welfare of its people at the risk of being misunderstood. Nevertheless, with whatever shortcomings we may have had, we have always managed to go beyond our differences and move together in collective unison towards the attainment of our goals and vision.

I cannot accomplish the challenging tasks and mandates we have set for Bicol University without your sustained support. I highly recognize that I could not have achieved what we have accomplished and be where we are now without your perennial support and those of the rank-and-file. You are all very much part of every triumph and blessing for Bicol University. But let us not yet be contented with where we are now; for there are more milestones to make and even better gains to sustain.

Now, more than ever, in the history of Bicol University, as we approach our golden years of existence, we need more men and women like you, who can work without counting the cost.

We need each of you to stay the course that you may continue journeying with me for the next four years even as we prepare our beloved Bicol University to face the coming years and beyond.

I cannot promise you a smooth road to success.

Times will be tough. Demands will be higher. But I will always be with you every inch of the long and arduous way. So stay on course; and slowly, we will get there.

Meanwhile, please find time to pause, reflect, and enjoy this Season of Faith, Hope, and Love as we rekindle our bonds with friends and family, ever thankful for the gift of life as we celebrate the birth of the One True King – Jesus, our merciful Saviour and Messiah.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a bountiful Year ahead!

N

News | P3

BU-RDE and BUGS strengthen government-university industry collaboration via innovation conference

Tenured President - Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas showcases his many accomplishments in the duration of his presidency of Bicol University, during his public presentation in the BUCAL Amphitheatre.

Dr. Mascariñas secures second term as BU’s SUC President IV After meticulous evaluation last November 2018, Arnulfo Mateum Mascariñas Ph.D. has been confirmed for his second term as SUC President IV of Bicol University as announced by the Evaluation Committee during the Special Board of Regents (BOR) Meeting at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Main Office in Quezon City last November 29.

To assess his worthiness for the said office, Dr. Mascariñas’ achievements, endeavours and capacity were assessed by a special Evaluation Committee, chaired by former University of the Philippines- Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz with members Western Mindanao State

University (WMSU) President Dr. Milabel E. Ho, CHED Regional Office V Director Dr. George M. Colorado, Social Action Center (SAC) Executive Director Fr. Rex Paul B. Arjona, and BU Polangui Campus (BUPC) faculty member Dr. Evelyn R. Albao.

The members committee initially met in Pasay City last October 09 to discuss the plans for Dr. Mascariñas’ evaluation. On November 18 and 19, the committee visited Bicol University’s main campus to officially conduct the evaluation, starting with a documentary evaluation.

During the evaluation, the BU President was also given the opportunity to publicly present his Dr. Mascariñas | P8

963 examinees from BU pass 2018 Licensure Examination for Teachers With the release of the result of the Professional Regulation Commission’s (PRC) September 2018 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) last December 07; Bicol University boasted 231 passers for the elementary education level and 732 passers for the secondary education level for the said exam.

Based on the 2018 LET result, Bicol University garnered an overall passing rate of 52.71 percent (231 passers out of 438 examinees) for Elementary Education and

Editorial | P2

Modern Day Heroes

52.69 percent (732 passers out of 1,389 examinees) for Secondary Education.

For the overall result, PRC also announced that there are 18,409 out of 90,750 examinees (20.29%) for Elementary Education and 60,803 out of 126,582 examinees (48.03%) for Secondary Education successfully passed the exams. Out of the total 18,409 passers in elementary level, PRC posted 17,200 as first timers and 1,209 as repeaters; while the 60,803 secondary passers are composed of 52,453 first timers and 8,350 repeaters.

Feature | P4 University Christmas Party

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The BUzzette

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL Modern Heroes

T

he latest statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last May 2018, showed an estimated total of 2.3 million OFWs; most of whom suffer great longing to be with their families again. Though current times have given way to improved and more accessible communication means like social media and other real-time communication applications, OFWs are still subject to risks like abuse and exploitation that go hand-in-hand with living in foreign soil.

As it has been for so many years, stories of sacrifice abound with thousands of other Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) scattered around the globe. These are the stories of Filipino migrants who brave foreign lands in search of greener pasture for the welfare of their families back in their homeland.

Dubbed as “makabagong bayaning Pilipino” (modern Filipino heroes), the OFW sector has become a great contributing factor in the development of the Philippine economy during the past years due to the remittances they generate. During the period of April to September 2017 alone, an estimated total of 205.2 billion pesos in remittances were sent by OFWs. Aside from the OFW themselves, the families they left behind are also vulnerable particularly the studentdependents. Studies show that children of OFWs, even those under the guardianship of relatives or surrogate parents, are more prone to the influences of vices and negative behaviour for lack of proper parental guidance.

By definition, “heroes” are people who are idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble

qualities. They are saviors and sources of inspiration. With what they are able to contribute for the improvement of our country’s economy and with the sacrifices they have to bear for their families, the OFWs are indeed worthy of being called ‘heroes’.

But, sometimes these heroes are also in need of saving and help. Given the sheer numbers of OFWs today and their families who are left behind, we could pretty much say that everyone is related to or knows an OFW. We may not know it or directly feel it, even we Filipinos who are blessed with a complete family are benefiting in the sacrifices of our OFW. It does not even take much to do the right thing. Even a simple act of care, like advising your friend with OFW parents to stay away from drugs, goes a long way.

God made men with the ability to move

with kindness and compassion, and that is more than enough. But as a University serving the student-OF dependents, we have to go beyond these and start planning for concrete responses and actions.

With the month of December designated as the National Migrants’ Family Welfare Month, let us gently remind ourselves of what we can do for our OFWs, and their student-dependents in Bicol University. With Bicol University as a member-institution in the Technical Working Group on the Committee on Migration and Development of the City Government of Legazpi, we must do our part to ensure that the migran sector in our University is assured of their rightful place in t he plans and program of Bicol University, that their heroic sacrifices may not be in vain.

We love to hear voices from across the University and encourage article contributions. You may send your articles to bu-cpro@bicol-u.edu.ph. Looking forward to hearing your voices!

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AN EXECUTIVE NEWSLETTER EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Dr. Renelyn E. Bautista Associate Editor Gladys S. Serafica Circulation Manager Mary Ann M. See Writer Julius Justino B. Embile Layout Artist Patrick M. Pablo Photographer Elizabeth Jemly M. Baliguat Editorial Consultants Dr. Helen M. Llenaresas & Dr. Reina O. Habalo Overall Consultant/Publisher Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, Ph.D.

A World-Class University Producing Leaders and Chan

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The BUzzette

NEWS

BUCAF, CBEM present R&D papers and posters in 2018 RSRDH

I

Research and Inclusivity - Units under BU’s Office of the Vice President for Research, Development and Extension (OVPRDE) and the BU Graduate School (BUGS) host this years’s National R&D and Innovations Conference this December 2018.

BU-RDE and BUGS strengthen government-university industry collaboration via innovation conference Contributing to the drive of promoting collaboration between the university, industry and government in the name of innovation, the units under the Bicol University’s Office of the Vice-President for Research Development and Extension (OVPRDE) partnered with BU Graduate School (BUGS) to conduct the 2018 National Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation Conference last December 07 and 08 at the BU Regional Food Innovation and Commercialization Center (RFICC), BU East Campus in Legazpi City.

Themed “R&D and Innovations for Inclusive Development through G ove r n m e n t - Un i ve r s i t y- In d u s t r y Collaboration”, the said conference aims to lay-down the best possible and practicable approaches to actualize government-university-industry via discussions with respected experts. It also served as a platform that provides open atmosphere for exchanges of ideas where operational frameworks can be planned for institutionalization among the participating bodies.

Showing his support to the goals of the gathering, BU President Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas joined the event during its opening program on its first day. In behalf of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Dr. Rafaelita M. Aldaba, DTI’s Albay Provincial Director Ms. Leah A. Pagao attended the event as keynote speaker, where she talked about the Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (I3S).

The keynote speech was then succeeded by a brief open forum, facilitated by BU Extension Management Division Director

Dr. Lester M. Narvaez. This was followed by an explanation of the forums mechanics, levelling of expectations and introduction of participants, led by BUGS Dean Dr. Antonio P. Payonga.

For the first plenary talk of the conference, Dr. Jacinto ‘Jhaze’ M. Asuncion Jr., Business Development Manager of the DOST-UP Enterpise Center for Technopreneurship, discussed ‘innovation and technopreneurship in higher education’.

This was also followed by an open forum, facilitated by Dr. Narvaez who also presented the initial batch of incubatees for BU’s Technological Business Incubation Center.

The afternoon session of the conference’s first day was given to Ms. Rosemary Rey, ACCI President, for the second plenary talk that revolved on the topic of government-university-industry linkage of the country.

The conference’s second day began with the third plenary talk by Prof. Nolan Belaro of BU College of Business Economics and Management (CBEM), who showcased BU’s industry collaborative partnerships.

The fourth plenary talk focused on PiliProcessed Products, which was discussed by Mr. Joeriz Olbes, Secretary of the Philippine Pili Industry League Incorporated.

Sharing his knowledge in processed food production, the fifth and last plenary talk of the conference was done by Ms. Katrine Llaguno, Operations Manager of HML Foods Corporation. Once all the plenary discussions ended, those present participated in parallel sessions until the conclusion of the conference.

nge Agents for Social Transformation and Development.

BURDE | P6

n search of the Bicol region’s best papers for the ‘research and development’ (R&D) category, 107 R&D enthusiasts gathered to participate in the 2018 Regional Symposium of Research and Development Highlights (RSRDH) last 07 December 2018 at the Albay Farmers Bounty Village Gymnasium, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay.

The said symposium participants were composed of paper presenters, panel of evaluators, facilitators and a majority of student who are potential researchers. A total of eight papers were presented, five for the Research Category and three for the Development category. All the five posters presented were from Bicol University, where three are from the College of Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF) and two are from the College of Business, Economics and Management (BUCBEM).

There were five Consortium Member Institutions (CMIs) who vied for the coveted Best Paper Award and Best Student Poster Awards. For the Research Category, only the Best Paper and Second Best Paper Awards were given following the guidelines of garnering a rating of at least 85 percent.

The paper from Philippine Coconut Authority entitled “Molecular Characterization and Identification of Indigenous, Resilient Coconut Genotypes as Source of Planting Materials for Utilization in Rehabilitation of Coconut Farms” by Jonabel L. Huavas, Dennyse C. Diaz Melissa M. Melitante and Cristeta A. Cueto won the Best Paper Award in the Research category.

The second Best Paper Award was given to Ma. Teresa B. Lirag, Ma. Francia Asuncion D. Nunez of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) for their paper “Economic Analysis of Cacao Production in Camarines Sur”.

This year’s Best Paper Award for the Development category went to the Department of AgricultureRegional Field Office 5 (DA-RFO V) for their paper “Enhancing Mungbean Production in the Bicol Region”. The researchers of the said papers were Luz R. Marcelino, Henrilyn R. Yamson, Danilo SA Bordon, Nellie S. Pasion and Edgar R. Madrid. The second place for the said recognition was given to the paper “Regional Climate Resilient Assessment, Targeting and Prioritization for AMIA-Phase 2 Region V (Bicol)- Camarines Sur” by Ricky P. Laureta, Sherry A. Combis, Joela Mizchelle A. De la Vega of Partido State University (PSU). The Third Best Paper was awarded to “Community-based Action Research for RSRDH | P6

FEAT

The BU

University Ch

A World-Class University Producing Leaders and Chang

TURE

Uzzette

hristmas Party

ge Agents for Social Transformation and Development.

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The BUzzette

2018 H 2018 Regional SCUAA Games

1st UK-Philippines TNE Conference and Education Fair

January General Bilateral Agreement on International Cooperation with Shenyang Normal University

May BU 49th Founding Anniversary

February BU 49th Charter Day

June BUCDRRMC Ground-Breaking Ceremony

September

October

A World-Class University Producing Leaders and Change

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The BUzzette

Highlights 2018 Youth Economic Forum in Bicol University

March Inauguration of the new BU Men’s Dormitory

July BU passes ISO 9001:2015 certification after external audit

November

e Agents for Social Transformation and Development.

48th Commencement Exercises

April Three new BU structures highlighted in blessing and ground-breaking ceremonies

August BU President’s Public Presentation/Forum

December

The BUzzette

NEWS

Holiday Get-Together - Officials and personnel across all BU campuses gathered in Legazpi City Convention Center last December 14, wearing festive holiday-themed clothes with colors that represent their respective college or unit, for the 2018 Christmas GetTogether Party.

BU personnel from all campuses gather for 2018 Christmas Get-Together party

H

ighlighting Bicol University’s celebration of this year’s holiday season, officials, teaching and non-teaching personnel of the university gathered in the Legazpi City Convention Center (L3C) last December 14 for BU’s 2018 Christmas Get-Together Party.

Attended by 692 personnel, composed of 478 regular (teaching and non-teaching) employees and 214 job order employees from all BU campuses, the gathering features Christmas dance presentations from 11 colleges, campuses and units. The party was organized by Bicol University Union of Faculty Association Incorporated (BUUFAI) and the Bicol University Association of Non-Teaching Staff (BUANTS).

Officially starting the program was BUUFAI President Dr. Maria Joselyn J. Paje, who welcomed the participants in her opening message. Her remarks were soon succeeded by the Christmas message, delivered by BU President Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas.

BEI | P7

in BEI and competency-based recruitment became the focus of the workshop on its second day. The workshop exercises included crafting an interview guide using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) approach, preparing for and conducting the interview.

With the knowledge gained in the workshop, the development in quality service in line with BU’s vision to become a world-class university takes another step forward, as most would consider that quality service begins with choosing the right person for the job.

The presenters brought forth their best performances and donned colourful holidaythemed costumes as the presentation was also a competition. At the closing phase of the program, the judges: Legazpi City Tourism Office’s Community Affairs Officer Ms. Tet Lorbes, ACHRMP Albay Chapter President Ms. Marites T. Pasa, and China Bank’s Marketing Assistant Mr. Dems Fajardo, deliberated the victors of the contest after witnessing each performance.

The judges’ criteria for determining the winners were: 50 percent for choreography (creativity, artistry, originality and style), 20 percent in execution (timing and coordination), 20 percent in projection and expression, and 10 percent in costume. The contestants must strictly keep their music and performances faithful to the holiday theme, as per the rules.

The results, as per the judges, was neck-to-neck as the scores of the top

BOR | P7

that would adopt this new academic calendar, though several Philippine universities had already formally adopted the new academic calendar. Among them are prominent schools, including Del La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, Visayas State University, and Mindanao State University.

It is also worth noting that the initiative of shifting the academic calendar was meticulously studied and went through a series of consultation.

Led by BU’s Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the proposal of shifting the academic calendar has been

competitors were factions of a point apart.

Emerging victorious is BU Institute of Physical Education, Sports and Recreation (IPESR) who won first place. Also honoured for their outstanding performances are the participants from the College of Arts and Letters (BUCAL) and the College of Science (BUCS), who won second and third place respectively.

In between dance presentations, the party also had a raffle draw that gave away a variety of prizes including cash prize, gifts, and even appliances. The winners of the raffle were drawn randomly by picking out numbers and matching it with the names in the attendance sheet.

Dr. Mascariñas | P1 accomplishments during his tenure. To analyze the effectiveness of Dr. Mascariñas’ leadership and management, the evaluation committee also gathered the views and opinions of BU’s officials, faculty members, students, non-teaching personnel, LGU partners, and stakeholders, regarding Dr. Mascariñas’ possible re-appointment through a series of interview. The University President himself was also personally interviewed by the committee.

In a Special Board Meeting at the CHED Main Office in Quezon City last November 29, the Evaluation Committee officially announced their decision of confirming the re-appointment of Dr. Mascariñas. According to the committee, Dr. Mascariñas has proven qualified and worthy for the SUC President IV position based on (1) leadership and governance, (2) linkages, networking and partnerships, (3) sustainability of operations, and (4) special accomplishments. The result of the evaluation presented the University President with an overall remark of “outstanding”.

It can be recalled that Dr. Mascariñas has been BU’s President since he assumed the position 2015, succeeding the seat from Dr. Fay Lea Patria M. Lauraya. With the prolongation of his service as BU President, Dr. Mascariñas is expected to push through with his development plans for Bicol University, in line with his vision of transforming BU to an internationally recognized university.

consulted with the student body (October 12), the graduate school students and BUGS faculty (October 13), and key offices including the University and College Registrars, University Librarian, Health Services, Admissions Office, the NSTP (October 15), and the members of the faculty (November 21).

With each consultation, the proposal was improved and developed to ensure that the welfare of all that would be affected by the change would be ensured. The proposal was also reviewed thoroughly before being endorsed to the BOR’s approval.