PRESIDENT’S OUTBOX

UPLBFI taps BU to take part in project to build resilient LGU

Thismonth, Bicol University, the premiere state university in the region, will once again submit its programs for accreditation as proof of our commitment to achieve academic excellence.

Our decision to embark on this online review process is a testament to our fervent desire to ensure quality assurance in all areas of our operations, cognizant that passing the standards, and being awarded the accreditation status by no less than the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP) Inc., a highly reputable accrediting agency in the country.

As your President, I commend your indomitable spirit to take on the challenge of submitting your programs amid the pandemic. This is proof of your commitment to ensure that BU’s programs remain responsive and relevant in today’s world.

As Bicol University sets its sights on the future, we vow to sustain our gains, and create more milestones as we focus on improving our academic programs along these key 10 areas—faculty, curriculum and instruction, support to students, research, extension and community involvement, library, physical plant and facilities, laboratories, and administration—in our vision to become a “world-class university producing change agents for social transformation and development.”

Thank you very much, and let’s keep going, for together, we can accomplish more!

In its objective to build a resilient local government unit (LGU) and communities in the province of Albay, the University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation Incorporated (UPLBFI), established partnership with Bicol University, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing, on implementing the project, “Resilience-building and Future-proofing Strategies in a Multistressed Scenario in the Province of Albay, Philippines.”

Through UPLBFI’s Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management (IdSC-INREM), the university, along with a number of partner LGUs in Albay and other stakeholders, will co-learn and codevelop crucial strategies to build LGU and community resilience as well as put these into practice for futureproofing strategies for climate change and development in the project area.

By providing the community with the skills it needs to deal with the negative effects of a disaster, this project will enhance the level of awareness of the community on the dangers and implications of all hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities. This collaboration will result in the development and execution of a comprehensive national and local disaster preparation policies, strategies, and systems, as well as an increase in institutional capacity; improving the relationship between the key players and stakeholders.

The Province of Albay was chosen because of the “adaptedness” of its programs through good practices earning a “Global LGU Model for Climate Change Adaptation in 2008. The province suffered billions of pesos in damages to agriculture and infrastructures, caused by the consecutive typhoons from October to November 2022 which triggered lahar flows and flash floods. In addition, the province was also in a tight position due to the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic in the same year.

The project will be implemented specifically in the Quinali A Watershed which mainly includes the portions of the Municipalities of Camalig, Guinobatan, Libon, Oas, Polangui, and the City of Ligao, thus providing maps of vulnerabilities and risk of the province based on different scenarios.

The project is led by Dr. Juan M. Pulhin and realized through the support of the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research.