WVSU Vice President for Medical and Allied Sciences Dr. Celina C. Gellada gives her healtfelt message on the occasion of the institution’s 120th Founding Anniversary.
Category: News
WVSU President Dr. Joselito Villaruz shares his insight and reflrects on the institution’s 120th Foundation Day in his message.
Today, West Visayas State University achieved a momentous milestone on its 120th founding anniversary. The foundation day affirms the commitment and resilience of its leaders, administrators, faculty, students, alumni, employees, and stakeholders through years of ups and downs.
With humble beginnings, known then as Iloilo Normal School in 1902, the institution evolved under the leadership of capable school administrators and presidents who brought the school higher to another level during their terms.
After becoming West Visayas State College in 1965, the institution received university status in 1986. By 1987, WVSU acquired Don Benito V. Lopez Memorial Hospital (now known as West Visayas State University Medical Center), a venue for training and learning for students in the medical and allied services. The university’s medical and nursing programs are among the best in the country, scoring consistently with a high passing rate.
Eventually, the university grew and established external campuses in Lambunao, Calinog, Himamaylan, Janiuay, and Pototan. Graduates in other programs are equally excellent and excel in education, communications, business, arts, sciences, technology, social sciences, agriculture, sports, and culture as professionals and industry practitioners.
The institution survived the horrors of World War II, thrived under the administration of American governors and several Philippine presidents, withstood countless natural disasters, lived through socio-political unrests, and presently weathering the challenges of the global pandemic.
The reasons for celebrating WVSU’s 120th Founding Anniversary are as countless as the people who grew with it since 1902. Every person who became part of the institution since its founding shared a heartbeat to keep WVSU alive through their services and sacrifices.
From a dream a university grew, / Stirring hearts with a hero’s refrain. / Out of darkness, faith renew / That our toils should not fade in vain./ West Visayas State University, Hold thy banner high, / Let genius bridge the earth / And boundless sky.
WVSU will continue singing its hymn for another 120 years – and beyond.
By Leo G. Almonte, MDC
Director, PAMCO
Categories
PAGHANDURAW 2022
From a dream a university grew…so begins the university hymn.
To commemorate the outstanding contribution of the visionaries who placed WVSU at a pedestal it now stands, this year’s celebration of the 120th Foundation day will feature nostalgic visit to the days of glory of Arts and Culture.
Join us as we reminisce the past through a dance extravaganza, pay tribute to those who were pillars in the cultural arena and make the youth aware of the essence of what it means to be tagawest.
The West Visayas State University (WVSU) is gearing up for its 120th Founding Anniversary on June 16, 2022. From a humble ‘normal’ school in 1902, WVSU grew into a state college in 1965 and attained university status in 1986.
Since then, WVSU has become an educational landmark in the Province of Iloilo for producing graduates who excel in medical arts, education, business management, communications, sciences, agriculture, arts, and social sciences.
Committee head for WVSU’s 120th Founding Anniversary celebration, Dr. Porferio J. Barlas, VP for Administration and Finance, said that “Reaching 120 years is a rare feat and only a few institutions attain that milestone.”
The theme for this year’s foundation day is “Celebrating the past, committing to the present, and creating a sustainable future through academic and research excellence.”
It recognizes the university’s heritage and past people who helped the institution grow. At the same time, it upholds the commitment of the present stakeholders to moving forward through the fulfillment of WVSU’s mission with a tangible and sustainable impact on society.
Due to health protocols, WVSU opted to organize low-key but meaningful activities to commemorate the special event. The Foundation Day festivities on June 16 start with the Holy Mass celebration, followed by a flower offering at the university marker. Other activities include a cultural program and the groundbreaking-blessing of new university buildings.
The Public Affairs and Marketing Communications Office (PAMCO) and other units will launch a social media campaign to hype the founding day celebration.
by
Leo G. Almonte, MDC
Director, PAMCO
By Leo G. Almonte, MDC
Director, PAMCO
Professor Romulo J. Pangan, a retired professor of WVSU and known musical connoisseur, passed away last May 23, 2022. He completed his Bachelor of Music Education and Conducting and Bachelor of Science in Education and Filipino at the University of the Philippines.
During his four decades-long teaching career, Professor Pangan taught music and established orchestras at Central Philippine University, Colegio Del Sagrado de Jesus, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción, and West Visayas State University.
In 1965, he became the college professor of music and Filipino at West Visayas State College (WVSC). He was active in organizing and training the college choir, orchestra, and band, setting a high standard in the school’s musical output. The Pangan-trained WVSC Choir won the grand prize at the National Music Competition for Young Artists.
Together with the late Adelina Zerrudo, Professor Pangan composed the WVSU Hymn and March. He has 236 musical compositions, of which 38 are for WVSU, including the Centennial Hymn.
“Many would describe music with magical words,” said Professor Pangan, “but I would only describe it as sounds that elevate the soul.”
Professor Romulo Pangan retired from WVSU at the age of 65. But his legacy remains embedded in the institution and will be remembered for his excellence in music, culture, and arts.
More than seven-thousand aspirants trooped to West Visayas State University for the annual college admission test. The examinees, grouped into batches, displayed varied expressions from nervousness to excitement and other emotions in between. They filled the testing centers within the university campus from May 11 to 14, hoping to pass the examinations and enroll in West Visayas’ premier university.
Eighteen-year-old examinees like Ellen, Nessy, and Daniel are bent on enrolling in the College of Nursing to join the ranks of medical frontliners in the future. “WVSU offers the best nursing program,” one of them opined during an informal interview. “The university has a reputation for having a high percentage of board passers.”
After the half-day examination, some hopefuls found the test challenging, while others said “that they were confident in passing the entrance examination because they prepared for it.”
The College of Nursing garnered the most applicants at 2,928, followed by the College of Business and Management (1,394), College of Arts and Sciences (1,103), College of Education (968), College of Information and Communications Technology (557), College of Dentistry (316), College of Pescar (197) and College of Communication (95). The examinees came from Iloilo City and other provinces like Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, and Negros.
WVSU external campuses also conducted its college admission test last May 15. WVSU Lambunao Campus has the most number of examinees at 1,880, followed by Janiuay Campus (1,291), Himamaylan Campus (1,050), Pototan Campus (924), Calinog Campus (443), and the College of Agriculture and Forestry in Lambunao (304).
by Leo G. Almonte, MDC
The Western Visayas Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVAARRDEC), together with its cooperating consortia, is conducting its 2022 Cluster FIESTA in the whole month of April.
The cooperating consortia are the Western Mindanao Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESMAARRDEC) and the Central Visayas Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (CVAARRDEC).
The event is dubbed as the Native Chicken FIESTA with a theme “PADAYON: Sustainable Economy Amidst Pandemic through Native Chicken Technology”.
The virtual FIESTA which stands for Farms and Industry Encounters through Science and Technology is one of the banner programs of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).
For this year’s first-ever FIESTA, the focus is on the success of the Native Chicken Technology in the agricultural industry of the country. The Native Chicken FIESTA aims to provide a virtual platform to showcase, promote and disseminate the technology and commercialization of the Native Chicken.
Native chicken production can be a viable enterprise for rural dwellers. It supports the objective of ensuring food security at the family level. Being a truly Filipino genetic resource, it highlights cultural pride and supports the promotion of the tourism industry.
West Visayas State University (WVSU) and the Association of Training Institutions for Foreign Trade in Asia and the Pacific (ATIFTAP) formalized their partnership for the ATIFTAP’s 16th Global Business Conferences by signing a memorandum of agreement on April 13, 2022.
In the agreement, WVSU will provide reviewers with doctoral degrees as peer reviewers for the research manuscripts. The university is expected to have at least ten faculty members subscribed to ATIFTAP membership and promote the association’s Global Business Conferences to WVSU’s Academic and Industry Networks.
Additionally, ATIFTAP recognizes WVSU as a non-exclusive partner of its Global Business Conferences by providing the university a certificate as a co-organizer of the event series.
The partners will hold online conferences on April 23, June 11, and October 15, 2022.
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Popoy De Vera led a High-level Higher Education Partnership Mission to Canada to expand opportunities to engage in academic and research partnerships focused on health sciences, renewable energy, agriculture, engineering and technology, data science and disaster risk management, among others.
He was accompanied by CHED Region I OIC-Director Danilo B. Bose, Trade Commissioner for Education of the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines Ms. Angel Cachuela and officials from eight (8) Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) namely, Mariano Marcos State University, Iloilo Science and Technology University, West Visayas State University, Southern Leyte State University, World Citi Colleges and WCC Aeronautical and Technological College, Tarlac Agricultural University, Tarlac State University and Universidad
de Dagupan.
The mission provided an opportunity for CHED and delegates to visit and meet with nine (9) post-secondary institutions in Ottawa and Toronto such as Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, Ryerson University, York University, University of Toronto, Niagara College, Seneca College and Mohawk College.
As part of the mission, CHED and the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines organized the Philippines-Canada Education Networking session, an event that hosted about 20 Canadian education stakeholders on March 29, 2022 at the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa.
During the event, De Vera signed Joint Statements on Higher Education Cooperation with Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada to expand education collaboration in areas such as student mobility, Indigenous Peoples education, research aligned with the UN SDGs, faculty and staff development, Microcredentials, applied research, and inclusion of in-demand skills in the curriculum.
Letters of Intent were also signed by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada with the eight (8) Philippine HEIs. The event announced and celebrated 11 MOUs forged between Canadian and Philippine institutions over the course of the pandemic in various discipline areas.
Aside from these milestones, CHED signed a Joint Statement on Higher Education Cooperation with Ryerson University on March 30, 2022 and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Academic Collaboration with York University on March 31, 2022 to initiate collaboration at the post-secondary and post-graduate levels.
On April 6, 2022 shortly after his return to the Philippines, De Vera virtually joined Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Peter MacArthur to witness the signing of the MOU between WCC Aeronautical and Technological College with British Columbia Institute of Technology on aircraft maintenance engineering and avionics.
“The success of CHED’s mission to Canada is rooted in an appreciation of Canada’s strengths in education delivery and research across disciplines and a shared vision to foster internationalization between Canadian and Philippine higher education institutions,” said Canadian Ambassador Peter MacArthur. “So we look forward to further enabling more trans-Pacific brain circulation between students and faculty.”
“CHED’s mission to Canada is a testament to the strong collaboration between Canada and the Philippines on higher education internationalization,” De Vera said.
“In recent years, the significant growth of academic and research partnerships between Canadian and Philippine higher education institutions has fostered cross-border collaboration between countries, expanding access to international education opportunities to Canadian and Philippine students and faculty,” he added
J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III, DPA
Chairman
Commission on Higher Education
