July 2022 BUzette

PRESIDENT’S OUTBOX

BUCL receives Government Recognition; authority to operate JD program, granted

Today, as I stand before you for the last time as your President, I stand with nothing but a sense of gratitude for the many manifold blessings that are products of our collective steadfastness, patience, perseverance, and resiliency, as one Bicol University community. I stand as an academic leader grateful for the faith we share and the trust you have all unwaveringly given to my Administration, even as we sailed through the many shocks and stresses together as one family and one University. As I look back at my Presidency, I am wrapped in nostalgia and wistfulness; recalling the many trails we have blazed and the countless challenges we have hurdled as one Bicol University family. My dear graduates, go where you are celebrated. Go where your ideas will bear fruit. Go where you can serve better. But never abandon those who reject you or have a different path than you. Build a better world for all – and include them still in your dreams; in your vision, of a better future beyond what we have now. Empower each one with the gift of greater resiliency. Ignore the cancel culture that has been so predominant in the social media, especially in the virtual world. If you believe in a Higher Being or a Higher Purpose, then, you will know deep in your heart; if you truly listen “with the ear of your heart,” – then you will know, that even in diversity, there can be unity – that rejection, and hate is, as you millennials say it – “not cool.” This is part of building a resilient nature – a strong and resilient character.

Having successfully complied with the tedious documentary requirements and submitting to a rigorous evaluation process, the Bicol University College of Law (BUCL) was finally awarded a Certificate of Government Recognition by the Legal Education Board (LEB).

The awarding of the Certificate of Government Recognition was held on July 20, 2022, at the Legal Education Board, Quezon City. The awarding ceremony was graced by no less than LEB Chairperson Anna Marie Melanie B. Trinidad, who handed the Certificate of Recognition to BU President Arnulfo M. Mascariñas. Also present in the said ceremony was Atty. Alex B. Nepomuceno, Atty. Ledilla Lilibeth H. Llagas and Atty. Norly P. Reyes, all faculty members of the BUCL who also constituted the committee that was tasked by President Mascariñas to study and propose the establishment of the now fully recognized BUCL. A Certificate of Government Recognition, pursuant to Article II, Section 31.2 of LEB Memorandum Order No. 1, Series of 2011 “constitutes full mandatory accreditation which allows the law school to graduate its students, to confer upon them their degrees and titles and to endorse them to the

Office of the Bar Confidant for the Bar Examinations.” Prior to the awarding of government recognition, a law school has to undergo first a permit stage wherein a yearly permit has to be secured from the LEB before each academic year to enable the law school to operate in the succeeding academic year.

In retrospect, the establishment of the BUCL was a fruition of the combined efforts, talents, and dedication of many individuals and the support of various partner agencies and institutions of BU. Before its formal establishment in August 2019, President Mascariñas created a committee in 2018 to study the feasibility of offering a law degree at BU. The committee was chaired by Atty. Alex B. Nepomuceno with Atty. Ledilla Lilibeth H Llagas and Atty Norly P. Reyes, as members, with Ms. Ma. Myra C. Austero, as the committee secretary. With full authority from President Mascariñas, the committee undertook benchmarking activities in various top-performing law schools around the country, prepared the feasibility studies, and conducted consultation meetings with various stakeholders.

To look back: see what lies ahead, MidYear Perfromances of academic units

DOST-BU collabs for S&T research through MOA

In its objective to continue delivering timely and effective Science and Technology (S&T) programs and services to Bicolano people, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Bicol University (BU), through the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) on July 25, 2022, in support of its research on “Baseline Survey for Public Awareness and Understanding of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Bicol Region.”

DOST will be funding P300,000 to conduct the research since it acknowledges the university’s capacity to take the lead in

delivering the above policy paper, incentive package, and communication strategy.

The study will examine the respondent’s level of awareness and understanding toward S&T news and information among 1,200 Bicolano residents based on its methodology. It will also implement strict research rigor and ethical standards throughout the conduct of the research to ensure data quality.

The study is expected to be completed in four months’ time, effective today. Present in the MOA signing was DOST Regional Director Rommel R. Serrano, CESO III, BU

President Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, BUCAL Dean Dr. Leticia M. Lopez, Joyce G. Frilles, and Ma. Theresa D. Alcantara from DOST.

The signing ceremony was also attended by VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Amelia A. Dorosan, VP for Research, Development, and Extension Dr. Luis O. Amano, CAL faculty members Prof. Ruby M. Macasinag, Dr. Adrian B. Aguilar, and Prof. Liliosa C. Malasa, who served as the lady of ceremony.

Engr. Domingo A. Peña Jr., DOST Senior Science Research Specialist, was also in attendance to present the overview of the project.

For a Better Understanding - Dr. Arnulfo Mascariñas, Dr. Amelia A. Dorosan, Dr Leticia A. Lopez, Dr. Luis O. Amano, and other College of Arts and Letters (CAL) faculty members attend a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing with Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held at the CAL ampitheater on July 25, 2022.

To look back: see what lies ahead, BU reviews Mid-Year Performances of academic units

Topresent and re-evaluate the performances of each academic unit as of June 2022, a two-day Mid-year Performance Management Review (MPMR) was conducted at the Patio de San Jose Resort and Convention Center, San Jose, Malilipot, Albay, on July 28 to 29, 2022.

Bicol University (BU) officials, deans, directors, and heads of offices gather to present their performances, accomplishments, and milestones as of June 2022. To begin with, a registration and the opening program was held followed by four introductory inputs: BU Performance in Gender and Development presented by BU Center for Gender and Development (CGAD) Director Dr. Noel R. Rafer; BU Financial Performance presented by Crisanta A. Botin, University Budget Officer; BU Internal Audit Results presented by Dr. Roscefe B. Dy, Lead Auditor of BU-ISO and Dean of the College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF); and updates on the BU Infrastructure Status by Prof. Jerry S. Bigornia, VP for Planning and Development (VPPD).

In addition, the MPMR proceeded beginning with the Graduate School delivered by its dean, Dr. Herbert Rosana, followed by Dr. Ramesis M. Lorino for the Open University, and Dr. Noemi LobrigoIbo for the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of

Governance and Development. CAF and Polangui Campus were presented by deans Dr. Roscefe B. Dy and Prof. Mary Joy B. Catangui respectively. The presentations resumed with Dr. Rosemarie R. Jadie, dean of the Gubat Campus, and Dr. Leticia M. Lopez, dean of the College of Arts and Letters.

On behalf of Dr. Edie S. See, dean of the College of Business, Economics, and Management, Associate Dean Prof. Shiela B. Desuyo, presented the college’s report followed by Atty. Alex B. Nepomuceno for the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. MPMR of the College of Science, led by its dean Prof. Jocelyn E. Serrano, College of Nursing presented by Dr. Jean Annette S. Ibo were also reviewed and evaluated.

Furthermore, the MPMR were also delivered for the College of Law and the College of Industrial Technology, presented by BUCL associate dean Atty. Norly P. Reyes and CIT dean Dr. Jonathan Arroco, respectively. Presentations continued for the Institute of Design and Architecture through its dean, Arch. Leo A. Del Rosario, and the College of Education presented by Dr. Lorna M. Miña.

The event resumed the next day for the Tabaco Campus, presented by its dean Dr. Maria Giselle N. Mortega, College of Medicine, presented by Dr. Ofelia M. Samar-

Sy, and the Institute of Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation, presented by its dean Prof. Carina Sales. She also led a short ice-breaker dancing to a Zumba exercise.

For the College of Engineering, its dean Engr. Amelia B. Gonzales presented their MPMR. Afterwards, the Research and Development Management division and the Extension Management Division, through their sub-offices, were also present for this year’s MPMR.

The two-day MPMR was paneled by the BU officials led by BU President Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, VPPD Prof. Jerry S. Bigornia, VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Amelia A. Dorosan, VP for Administration and Finance Atty. Joseph L. Bartolata, VP for Research for Development and Extension Dr. Luis O. Amano, Chief of the Internal Audit Service and QMR Cyrus A. Barrameda, Legal Officer Atty. Daryl B. Redoblado, Chief of the Administrative Office, Finance Division Atty. Loyd P. Casasis, and Chief of the Administrative Office, Administrative Sector Atty. Norly P. Reyes. On each presentation, the panel of evaluators made remarks and recommendations regarding the reports of each academic unit.

The event was hosted by Abigail Jo M. Abainza from the International Relations Office.

Glimpsing the Past - Dr. Arnulfo Mascariñas, Dr. Amelia A. Dorosan, and other faculty members evaluate the performance, accomplishments, and milestones of the different colleges and offices of Bicol University for its Mid-year Performance Management Review (MPMR) from July 28 to 29, 2022 at Patio de San Jose Resort.

BU holds f2f grad rites;

4,604 BUeños marched

After two years of virtual graduation ceremonies due to the pandemic, Bicol University has finally held the limited face-to-face (f2f) 52nd BU Commencement Exercises from July 9 to 15, 2022.

The ‘graduation week’ has produced 4,604 graduates with two Summa Cum Laude, 356 Magna Cum Laude, 2,044 Cum Laude, and 112 with Academic Distinction according to the University Registrars Office (URO).

With the theme, “FutureProofing the University for Greater Resiliency,” 15 colleges across the university participated this year: Graduate School (GS), College of Medicine (CM), College of Arts and Letters (CAL), College of Education (CE), College of Science (CS), College of Nursing (CN), Institute of Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation (IPESR), College of Business, Economics, and Management (CBEM), College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), College of Industrial Technology (CIT), College of Engineering (CEng), Polangui Ctampus (PC), College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF), Tabaco Campus (TC), and Gubat Campus (GC).

First in the series of the graduation week was held for the BU West Campus: GS, CM, CAL, CE, CS, CN, and IPESR where 1,441 graduated at the BU-Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) Sports Complex on July 9, 2022.

For CS, its pioneer batch of graduates from the BS Meteorology graduated with one cum laude. The second batch of graduates were from the BU East and Daraga campuses: CENG, CIT, CSSP, and CBEM with 1,700 graduates, held at the same location the next day.

On July 12, PC concluded its 40th Commencement Exercises at the Salceda Gymnasium, Polangui, Albay with 797 graduates. The next day, CAF, with 242 graduates, conducted its 52nd Commencement Exercises at the BUCENG Gymnasium, Legazpi City. While on July 14, TC held it 52nd Commencement Exercises at the BUTC auditorium for their 286 graduates. Lastly, GC conducted its 17th Commencement Exercises at the Sorsogon Provincial Gymnasium with 138 graduates.

As an outgoing BU President, Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas served as this year’s commencement speaker. In his commencement address, he delivered reports of achievement and milestones as well as the challenges in the university during his presidency.

In his concluding message, the president imparted a message to the graduates to stay course and be the embodiment of a resilient person with the mind of a scholar and a heart of a servant.

“Imaynotbeatrueblue BUeño as I did not earn any degree from this great academicinstitutionbutIwas transformedandformedfrom myexperienceswithinthefold oftheBicolUniversityfamily which has openly accepted me.Ihadmanyopportunities to work in other places and with other organizations but only Bicol University has captured my heart. ”

Creating International Linkages: BU, National Central University – Taiwan enters MOU

Anotherinternational partner from Taiwan – National Central University had signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Bicol University in promoting educational and academic cooperation, held virtually via Zoom teleconference, on July 7, 2022.

The partnership will achieve the objective on (1) promoting institutional exchange by inviting faculty and staff to participate in joint research projects; (2) promoting exchange of essays, publication, theses, and information related to the research; (3) promoting dual degree program; and (4) promoting student exchange program.

The virtual meeting commenced with welcome remarks from VP for

Administration and Finance Atty. Joseph L. Bartolata followed by a message from the University Provosts Dr. Jing-Yang Jou, NCU President.

For the brief university profile presentations, Dr. Dimson M. Rivero, BU International Relations Office Director, discussed BU’s profile of excellence while Dr. Hsieh-Lung Hsu, VP for International Affairs, for NCU.

The virtual signing was held participated by Prof. Jocelyn E. Serrano, Dean of the College of Science, Dr. Leticia M. Lopez, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Dr. Edie See, Dean of the College of Business, Economics, and Management, Dr. Amelia B. Gonzales, Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Herbert B. Rosana, Dean

of Graduate School, Prof. Carina L. Sales, Director of the Institute of Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation, and Dr. Irene R. Moral, Director of the University Language Center.

For the NCU, present were Dr. Jin-Yang Jou, Prof. Jen-Inn Chyi, Vice President, Prof. Hsieh-Lung Hsu, Prof. Wen-Chi Lin, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Prof. TsungTai Lin, Dean of the College of Science, Prof. Ping-Yu Hsu, Dean of the School of Management, Prof. Shu-Kun Hsu, Dean of the College of Earth Sciences, and Prof. ChiHung Juan, Dean of the College of Health and Sciences Technology.

Dr. Amelia A. Dorosan, VP for Academic Affairs, delivered the closing remarks of the virtual program.

Subsequently, the committee presented its well-crafted proposal to the University’s Executive Committee, the University Academic Council and the University Administrative Council, which overwhelmingly endorsed the proposal for the establishment of the BUCL to the BU Board of Regents for approval. Thus, on August 16, 2018, during its Special Board Meeting, the BU Board of Regents passed Resolution No. 351, Series of 2018, approving the establishment of the BUCL and the offering of the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program.

After the passage of BOR Resolution No. 351, series of 2018, President Mascariñas started searching and shortlisting individuals who could possibly be willing to take the challenging role of leading and organizing the then newest college of Bicol University. Eventually, Pres. Mascariñas made his best choice of appointing Atty. Hardy B. Aquende as the Dean of the BUCL.

Dean Aquende immediately formed his core team to help him operationalize the establishment of BUCL with Atty. Norly P. Reyes as his Associate Dean; Atty. Ledilla Lilibeth H. Llagas as in-charge of the faculty; and, Ms. Imelda S. Peralta as the College Librarian. Aside from accepting the

deanship, Atty. Aquende also donated more than a million worth of law books.

To further ensure that the BUCL will have all the needed law books, Attys. Nepomuceno, Llagas and Reyes, as well as other lawyers of BU such as Atty. Joseph L. Bartolata also donated law books of recent editions as required by LEB. These book donations coupled with Ms. Imelda Peralta’s expertise as a librarian paved the way for the BUCL’s compliance in terms of library holdings and library facilities.

To ensure the competence of faculty members, who will be guiding the first batch of students of BUCL, Atty. Llagas also had to connect to her former students who are now lawyers and to her colleagues in the legal profession who are already recognized as experts in their respective fields and convinced as well as invited them to teach the pioneer batch of BUCL. Dean Aquende also brought some legal luminaries from Manila to BUCL as part of the core faculty of the college. To complete the requirements for the first-year level permit, Atty. Reyes, with the assistance of his skilled staff-Ms. Cielo Ll. Jaylo, Ms. Alita C. Lozana, and Ms. Ma. Myra Austero, painstakingly prepared the voluminous documentary requirements

for LEB submission. Dean Aquende and his team’s hard work paid off when the LEB issued the BUCL’s first-year level permit in June 2019.

With the first-year level permit having been issued, the BUCL finally announced the opening of the submission for application for its first batch of students in July 2019. With close to 150 applicants, only 42 of them successfully passed the strict requirements for admission and subsequently enrolled. Thereafter, BUCL had to prepare the needed requirements for the subsequent permits. To ensure that subsequent government permits will be issued, Atty. Llagas consistently prepared all the needed faculty requirements and compliments while Associate Dean Reyes competently prepared all the administrative, financial and other documentary requirements from 2019 to the present. Thus, LEB issued BUCL’s Government Permit Levels I, II and III thereby authorizing BUCL to enrol its first, second, and third-year law students.

At present, BUCL has a total of 72 students from 1st to 3rd year level. The issuance by LEB of the full recognition to the BUCL operation by way of the Certificate of Government Recognition is truly a milestone in the budding history of the College of Law.

Expanding Horizons - Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, Dr. Dimson M. Rivero and other BU faculty attended the Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) signing teleconference with Taiwan - National Central University (NCU) on July 7, 2022.

Pili NICER Program undergoes F2F evaluations

As part of their monitoring and evaluation duties, two teams from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and, Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) visited the Pili NICER Program.

The Crops Research Division (CRD) conducted a pre-visit on 15 June 2022 to monitor the said program. The pre-visit also helped the NICER Program on Pili in preparation for the Science for Change Program (S4CP) visit on 7 July 2022.

During their pre-visit, the CRD Team monitored the recently completed Plant Pathology Laboratory, a Pili Plantation

in Bicol University College of Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF), and, a Pili Farmer Plantation. The display area set-up with the seven projects under the NICER Program was also inspected.

Moreover, the CRD Team inquired about the difficulties and complications faced by the Program. After a brief discussion per project, the PCAARRD team offered a lending hand to the Pili NICER Program and suggested how to lessen the discussed challenges.

On the other hand, the S4CP visit provided an avenue to help the Pili NICER Program in discussing the planned extension

of the program. They also examined the above-mentioned display area setup.

After the visit at BUCAF, the S4CP Team conducted the R&D Ideation and S4CP Proposal Writeshop with the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic, and, Natural Resources Research and Development (BCAARRD) and various Consortium Member Institutions (CMIs) also involved with the Queen Pineapple NICER Program.

Both the CRD and S4CP Teams also visited the Queen Pineapple NICER Program of Camarines Norte State College (CNSC).

BS Meteorology benchmarks 4 related agencies, institutions

In order to enhance the Bicol University BS Meteorology curriculum and further strengthen linkages with other SUCs and meteorology-related agencies, the BU College of Science - Physics Department faculty members and staff conducted a benchmarking activity at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Rizal Technological University (RTU), PAGASA Central Office, and Manila Observatory, last August 1 to 6, 2022.

The BU delegation was led by Prof. Karen P. Conda-Botin, Physics Department Chair, along with Prof. Jo-Ann M. Cordovilla, Prof. Marierose D. Jasareno, Prof. Jerome A. Azul, Prof. John Ruel L. Locaba, and Erwin N. Bañares, Science Research Assistant.

CLSU shares best practices

The CLSU BS Meteorology program uses a number of facilities, including the Radio Broadcasting room where their students conduct practicum on broadcast meteorology and the Department of Information Technology computer laboratory building where BS Meteorology students have their computational meteorology subjects. On the first day of the benchmarking activity, BU delegates were given a tour of these facilities.

To streamline the BS Meteorology curriculum across the SUCs, the present CLSU curriculum was also compared to the current BU BS Meteorology program. As a result, both parties shared their best practices in the areas of instruction and research.

BU to deploy Meteorology students for OJT at PAGASA Central Office

The BU delegates resumed their benchmarking activities at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to establish ties for the on-thejob (OJT) training of the BS Meteorology students, as well as to consider visiting professors and lecturers to share their expertise in the meteorology subjects, research, and extension collaborations.

Although there is already an existing Memorandum of Agreement between BU and PAGASA Central Office, through its South Luzon office, this only allows students to spend their internship at the field offices in the Bicol region. With the benchmarking, the department looked at the prospect of placing the students in the central office for the upcoming third-year batch that would enroll in a practicum in the succeeding midyear.

Before drafting a new MOA for this new agreement, the policy of BU regarding adjunct faculty, as well as thesis advising or co-advisors needs to be clarified first. The BU delegation also met with the board members of the Philippine Meteorological Society (PMS) in preparation for the extension activity that is set to start in November 2022.

Manila Observatory to accept BU Meteorology interns

An active partnership for OJT deployment was also discussed with the Manila Observatory during the benchmarking. A MOA will be draft to formalize the agreement. Aside from establishing affiliation, the BU delegation was also shown the observatory’s sophisticated equipment for weather,

remote sensing, and air quality, including meeting the different laboratory heads and officers.

The Manila Observatory suggested that the university can act as a “node” which means that they will deploy automated weather stations (AWS) in the Bicol Region, and BU will be in-charge of maintaining the equipment in exchange for the datasets from the AWS. Two separate MOA/MOU is expected to be crafted for this partnership.

RTU introduces BS Astronomy to BU delegates

Known as the first in the country to offer a BS Astronomy with a concentration in Meteorology, the Rizal Technological University (RTU) shared their best practices on student monitoring, research, and extension to the existing curriculum of BU Meteorology program.

The delegation was also toured around the campus and the different laboratories and offices where they met the faculty members of the Astronomy Department. Future partnerships were also discussed for the student and faculty exchange program, OJT deployment, and research collaborations.

Overall, the benchmarking activity is expected to forge six MOAs/MOUs with the agencies and institutions visited. This also allowed the physics department to streamline the BS Meteorology program for the next curriculum review in preparation for the submission of the certificate of program compliance (COPC).

BU receives 23M through LAKAS program

In collaboration with National University (NU), Bicol University signed a Research Funding Agreement (RFA) with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), through the Leading the Advancement of Knowledge in Agriculture and Sciences (LAKAS) Program on the project titled “eParticipation 2.1: Harnessing Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Community Participation.”

Present in the RFA signing were BU President Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, co-project leader Prof. Lany L. Maceda, and Legal Officer Atty. Daryl A. Redoblado.

CHED’s LAKAS Program focuses on research and

development efforts in four strategic technology areas of (1) Agriculture, Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries, (2) Health and Nutrition, (3) Science of Engineering, and (4) National Quality Infrastructure to accelerate the growth of Philippine HEIs into top-tier institutions with the goal of boosting innovation, economic development, and the country’s ability to compete internationally.

The multi-million externally funded project amounted to Php.46,218,434.56 where BU was awarded with Php.22,695,112.04 through co-project leader, Prof. Lany Laguna-Maceda and NU with Php.23,523,322.52 through project leader Prof. Mideth

Abisado.

The main component of the project is the enhancement and deployment of the participatory toolkit Kalahok. Kalahok is an inclusive, deliberative, and multilingual eParticipation toolkit in selected communities in the Philippines. For this phase, the project will focus only on the use of the Kalahok toolkit in consulting communities on the various aspects of their community Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) plan, and in another domain, gathering feedback from the beneficiaries of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, based on the project’s rationale description.

BU to establish Legal Aid Clinic

To institutionalize the clinical legal education program in Bicol University College of Law (BUCL), a proposed establishment of the BUCL Legal Aid Clinic was approved during the 138th Regular Meeting of the BU Board of Regents on July 18, 2022. A legal aid clinic handles issues of public interest and offers free legal representation to economically

disadvantaged people. This provides services to various clients and often hands-on legal experience, particularly for law school students. Based on the Revised Rule 138-A (Law Student Practice) issued by the Supreme Court on June 25, 2019, the completion of clinical legal education courses must be prerequisite to take the bar examinations.

Just recently, BUCL received Government Recognition as a recognized state university offering the Juris Doctor program. This gives BUCL the authority to graduate its students, award them degrees and titles, and recommend them to the Office of the Bar Confidant for the Bar Examinations.

Reaching the Communities - Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, Dr. Lany L. Maceda, and Atty. Daryl A. Redoblado secure 23M funding for “eParticipation 2.1: Harnessing Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Community Participation” through CHED’s LAKAS Program on July 11, 2022.