For eight years, the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) has been running the program “Sagip-Aral”. It is the brainchild of Atty. Felicidad C. Gadiano, faculty of the CASS Political Science Department.
Each year, the CASS with the help and support of various individuals and organizations organizes two major gift giving events for the beneficiaries of Sagip Aral. During each start of a school year, CASS gives out school supplies to more than 100 student-beneficiaries from Barangay Santiago and every Christmas, CASS gifts the student-beneficiaries and their families with food items for their noche Buena.
The Sagip-Aral Program held its distribution school supplies on June 24 at the MSU-IIT Mini-theater. This year, 85 student-beneficiaries who are currently enrolled in elementary and secondary schools received school bags, school supplies (notebooks, pad papers, reading materials, pens, crayons, pencils), slippers, and umbrellas from the College. Aside from giving out school supplies, it has also been a tradition that during the program, student-beneficiaries and their parents and siblings participate in games and enjoy the snacks prepared for them.
This June’s Sagip Aral gift-giving was made possible not only through the efforts of CASS and Atty. Gadiano, the Program Coordinator but also of individuals that CASS is grateful for and these are: the cash donors namely, Erma Darunday, Marchris Travelling Agency, Eugene Legazpi and Company, Political Science Students Class of 2015, Atty. Edgar Alan Donasco, Dr. Marie Joy Banawa, Dr. Angelina Santos, Akima Bangcola, Prof. Nora Clar, General Education Students Organization, MSU-IIT National Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and an anonymous individual; and in kind donors namely, Glyness Catering and Dr. Angelina Santos for the slippers, and the CASS Executive Council and students for the school supplies, and Acting Mayor Rudy Marzo for the porridge.
Sagip-Aral which initially started as an extension program has grown as a research program under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension entitled Sagip Aral, Sagip Buhay: Mula sa Bundok ng Basura Tungo sa Eskwela.
Parents of student-beneficiaries were also given a livelihood program in which they make bleach, hand soap, and dishwashing soap that they can sell for added income. The Institute Janitorial Services has been ordering and purchasing its bleach from the Sagip Aral parents.
In the last enrolment for freshmen, four student-beneficiaries from the Sagip Aral Program enrolled in the General Education Program of CASS. These students are a testament that indeed CASS, through Sagip Aral, has been helping and empowering the lives of the people in the dumpsites of Barangay Santiago.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) has awarded a research grant to the Microelectronics Lab (MicroLab) of the Electrical/Electronics and Computer Engineering Department. This is MSU-IIT’s first time to receive such grant.
Professor Jefferson A. Hora, the principal investigator of the project and EECE Department Chair attended the awarding ceremony at Makati Diamond Hotel, Makati City.
The ceremony was attended by respective industry partners of the grantees, the academe, government representatives, USAID-STRIDE officials and from the media. Philip S. Goldberg, US Ambassador to the Philippines gave the keynote speech during the awarding ceremony.
Prof. Hora, chosen to speak on behalf of the grantees said in part: the passion, will, and determination of every Filipino Engineer and Scientist to contribute to nation building will have no worth if there is no action taken. Thank you, USAID-STRIDE for the opportunity to strengthen the R&D of this country and to realize our dream for the future that Philippines which will also be known as IC Design Hub of Asia, hence, will eventually spur economic growth for our nation.
The project entitled “Optimized chip implementation of indoor energy harvesting for sensor network and battery recharging” is spearheaded by Prof. Hora as the principal investigator with Prof. Chinet Mocorro, the Electrical Engineering Technology (ELET) Department Chair as the project assistant. The said project will run from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016.
This research grant allows for the extension of the licenses of the integrated circuits (IC) design tools currently being used by the MicroLab. With this, the MicroLab continues to operate as the Virtual Center of Microelectronics in Mindanao recognized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
MSU-IIT’s College of Nursing once again proved its place as one of the top nursing schools in the Philippines, having garnered a 100% passing rate in the recent Philippine Nurse Licensure Exam (PNLE) given on May 30-31, 2015.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) released the results on June 23, 2015.
Out of the 17,891 takers, 9,707 passed the examination given by the Board of Nursing (BON).
Five of the new nurses of 2015 from MSU-IIT are Louie Jo Cabilla, Charellie Duhaylungsod Estrellanes, Vanessa Marie Magahin Habajab, Nurlaylah Odal Hadji Usman, and Brandon De Pano Rama.
The CON remains consistent with its competence and excellence. Speaking in behalf of the faculty, Mr. Alexander B. Calago and Mr. Bernie A. Casera expressed their fulfillment in the said results. The two, together with Mr. Jan Igor T. Galinato, led the bridging program of the College which gave free review classes or refreshers to their graduates for two weeks. This is in preparation of their aspiring nurses for the actual review.
The faculty of CON go the extra mile to equip their graduates because “it is the fruit of [our] labor that counts,” Calago said.
The bridging program is open to any nursing graduate within the MSU System for free.
