3 SCUs Sign Commitment with SU on DENR-ADB Project
Three state colleges and universities (SCU) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Silliman University on the conduct of researches and activities, bolstering their reputation as Regional Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project Centers (RICs) in Visayas and Mindanao.
Cebu Technological University (CTU), Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (DOSCST) and Masbate School of Fisheries (MSF) have committed to conduct approved baseline studies and public awareness campaigns in the areas of biodiversity conservation and coastal resource management.
The MoAs were signed in separate occasions by the three SCU presidents at their respective campuses: December 2011 for DOSCST and May 2012 for CTU and MSF.
CTU, DOSCST and MSF's engagement springs from their selection by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as RICs, under the Philippine government's Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICMRP).
ICRMP is a project run on a loan from the Asian Development Bank and a grant from the Global Environment Facility. Silliman University is being engaged as an “assisting institution” or consultant for the Visayas and Mindanao, while the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, Inc. of the University of the Philippines-Diliman handles Luzon.
Silliman was instrumental in the earlier phase of capacity building, which was aimed at the establishment of the RICs in CTU, DOSCST and MSF, and the capacitation of their respective personnel.
Under the project, the RICs in Cebu, Davao and Masbate will serve as hubs for biodiversity monitoring, research, training and demonstration, and information, education and communication.
Heading the Silliman ICRMP team as Team Leader is Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III. Other members are Dr. Angel Alcala (Biodiversity Conservation Specialist), Dr. Hilconida Calumpong (Coastal Resource Management Specialist), Dr. Enrique Oracion (Institutional Specialist), Dr. Betsy Joy Tan (Education Specialist), Atty. Mikhail Lee Maxino (Legal Specialist), Mark Raygan Garcia (Information, Education and Communication Specialist) and Prof. Wilma Tejero (Project Coordinator).
