“My promise to you is we will do our best to protect what you have helped to build in IIT”.
This is what Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan told outgoing Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Dr. Polaus M. Bari who retired January 28, 2023.
During last week’s turnover ceremony, and before key officials, faculty and staff of the University, Ditucalan thanked Dr. Bari “for inspiring excellence in the university”.
Dr. Bari handed over the stewardship of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance (OVCAF) on January 25, 2023, to Atty. Yaslani Bantuas, head of the Accounting Division, in a ceremony held at the University’s Mini-Theater.
Bari said that he was thankful to have worked and served MSU-IIT. Bari had been the longest-serving Vice Chancellor – having served three chancellors during his employment in the University.
In response, incoming VCAF Bantuas accepted the challenge, feeling glad and excited to assume a new and huge responsibility. During his acceptance speech, he shared four fundamentals he believed that he will carry on as he takes on the VCAF role.
According to the new VCAF, “no one has the monopoly on knowledge, and an individual’s perspective will never be dominant to another person’s perception.” He said balancing everyone’s perception, interactive and constant communication, and reconciliation are indispensable in achieving goals and targets.
Bantuas, both an accountant and lawyer, envisions financial freedom vis-a-vis financial resiliency in the University. He also believes that the law is an instrument to be used to foster change, sustainability, and growth, and it should be a framework to facilitate decision-making in the University.
Thirdly, he emphasized the need to strengthen and widen the understanding of the public service values of patriotism, integrity, excellence, and spirituality as mandated by the Civil Service Commission.
Lastly, he mentioned that ethics and morality are the keys to influencing the future. He said that ethics is an essential element in leadership and that rejections should be perceived as redirection, personal failures as lessons learned.
The University’s resident choir Octava Choral Society landed on the Top 3 podium out of 12 competing groups from around the country in the recently concluded Musikahan sa Tagum Choral Competition on February 18, 2023.
Under the baton of Prof. Ernesto Zaldua Jr., the Octava performed three choice songs namely Pamugun by Francisco Feliciano, Abendlied by Josef Rheinberger, Sing a Song of Sixpence by John Rutter, and one contest piece entitled Evening Love Song by Nikko Villanueva.
The Octava received P50,000.00 cash price and a Plaque of Excellence in Music from the City of Tagum. The other winners were Voces En Harmonie Chorale of Tagum City as the 2nd placer, and the University of Mindanao Davao Chorale taking the 1st place.
The judging panel was composed of experts in music namely, Dr. Arwin Tan, Ms. Anna Tabita-Abeleda Piquero, and Gador awardee Dr. Helen Tejero.
The Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in the Philippines and Hasselt University (UHasselt) in Belgium have come together to collaborate on the International Training Programme (ITP) project in partnership with the Visayas State University (VSU) in the Philippines. This engagement is made possible through an agreement between the MSU-IIT and Hasselt University.
Since 2019, UHasselt has been in active collaboration and cooperation with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in capacity building, mentoring, and curriculum development. The ITP project is led by UHasselt Prof Dr. Thomas Neyens as the project promoter and Dr. Daisy Lou L. Polestico as principal MSU-IIT co-promoter with Dr. Ruth P. Serquiña, Asso. Prof. Johniel E. Babiera, Dr. Bernadette F. Tubo, and Dr. Peter D. Suson as team members.
Other faculty members who have active involvement in the project are Asst. Prof. Amabelle A. Embornas, Asst. Prof. Jaime Q. Guihawan and Prof. Emeritus Olga M. Nuñeza.
The €150,000 ITP project entitled “Co-CiPhil: Co-creating environmental citizen science capacity in the Philippines” has been awarded to the MSU-IIT and VSU by the Flemish Interuniversity Council – University Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS). This collaboration will result in the organization of a series of workshops in the Philippines over the next two years. The workshops will be co-organized by the three universities involved in the project.
ILIGAN CITY — ASST. PROF. ABU AL-RASHEED T. TANGGOL announced that he is among 105 emerging leaders selected to join the Obama Foundation Leaders program. The program trains participants around the world in leadership development and civic engagement to help build their skills and scale their work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Asst. Prof. Tanggol will be one of just 35 Leaders participating in the Asia-Pacific program. This year’s Asia-Pacific cohort represents 22 countries/territories across the region.
Asst. Prof. Tanggol is a public policy, and peace and conflict resolution specialist. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology where he also serves as the director of the Center for Local Governance Studies. He obtained his Master in Public Policy degree from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS) as an NUS ASEAN graduate scholar and Philippine Commission on Higher Education scholar. He studied Juris Doctor at the University of the Philippines, Diliman and completed his degree at the Mindanao State University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration degree from the National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines, Diliman. His interests are in the areas of peace and conflict resolution, judicial reform, climate change action and disaster risk resilience, urban and transport policy, good governance, and education policy.
As part of the six-month, non-residential program, these dedicated changemakers will convene virtually each week for interactive sessions designed to help them drive change by honing their leadership skills, building deep relationships with their peers, and engaging with thought leaders and members of the Obama Foundation community. They will also have an opportunity to participate in various virtual experiences and special events, including one-on-one conversations with experienced mentors in the Foundation’s global network.
President Obama’s familial ties to the region, his time in Indonesia as a young man, and his upbringing in Hawai’i have informed his values and his faith in the passion of this generation of changemakers across the Asia Pacific region. Launched in 2019, the program is creating a network of leaders who drive positive, innovative change in their communities throughout the continent and across the globe. The 2023 cohort of Asia-Pacific leaders are working across a broad range of issues and focus areas, including the climate crisis, indigenous rights, education, and more.
The Obama Foundation Leaders program is designed to further inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders from Africa, Asia Pacific, and Europe to change their respective communities and the world. To learn more, visit obama.org/leaders.
To learn more about Asst. Prof. Abu Al-Rasheed T. Tanggol, visit linkedin.com/in/attanggol.
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) has solidified its reputation as a leading university in Mindanao by being named a Center for Sustainable Polymers – the first of its kind in the country.
A sustainable polymer is a plastic material that can be used to produce a variety of commercial products that do not harm the environment, the health of consumers, or the economy.
MSU-IT was given the recognition in April by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) along with P107.3M in funding for the program and projects to be undertaken.
The designation of the University as a Center for Sustainable Polymers by DOST occurs under the agency’s new Niche Centers for Research and Development (NICER) Program.
The NICER Program aims to provide institutional grants to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for research and development capacity building to improve their science and technology infrastructure.
The program and projects of MSU-IIT as a Center for Sustainable Polymers will be implemented through a research team composed of faculty members from its College of Engineering and Technology (COET) and College of Science and Mathematics (CSM).
Dr. Arnold A. Lubguban, COET faculty member who has a doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Missouri, USA is the overall head of the Center’s program. Dr. Lubguban’s field of specialization is on polymer bioprocessing.
The team also has two project leaders, namely, Dr. Arnold C. Alguno, CSM faculty member who completed Doctor of Science in Physics in Tohoku University, Japan and who specializes in research in semiconductor and nanotechnology; and Dr. Ronald P. Bual, COET associate professor who finished Doctor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering at Kyushu University, Japan and whose areas of specialization are in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
The team’s study leader is Dr. Roberto M. Malaluan, COET faculty member who holds the degree Doctor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Tohoku University of Japan. Dr. Malaluan specializes in research in supercritical fluid technology.
Funded by DOST-GIA/DOST-PCIEERD, the project implementation for the Center is slated to begin in the next few months.
According to the research team, MSU-IIT plays an important role in the government’s effort to develop Northern Mindanao as an innovation hub, as it has been developed to become a technopreneurial breeding ground. They said that Region 10 is abundant in coconut and fish processing waste and derivatives which can be used as raw materials for the research projects.
In a presentation by the research team on May 24, 2021 at the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KTTO), the team showed Chancellor Sukarno D. Tanggol that with MSU-IIT becoming an R&D Center for Sustainable Polymers, it will address issues on high volume of by-products or derivatives from coconut processing, high volume of fish waste from fish processing facilities, and finite source of petroleum-based raw materials.
With MSU-IIT’s existing advanced polymer lab facility, expertise and with its good track record of R&D and IP management, the University, through the Center, hopes to utilize and optimize coconut processing derivatives and fish processing wastes to produce original research products which can be industrially-competitive. These diverse products include alternative bio-based polyols, polyurethane insulation and viscoelastic memory foams, oil-absorbing foams for wastewater treatment, polyurethane-modified concrete, fish-derived functional food supplements, and wound healing patches.
Expected outcomes of the said Center shall be increased production of high value products and increased coconut and fish productivity, as well as production of industry-compliant and cost-effective products with high market value.
MSU-IIT will be collaborating with other universities and agencies when implementing the Center’s projects, such as MSU-Naawan, MSU-General Santos, MSU-Marawi, Caraga State University, Ateneo de Davao University, Chemrez Technologies, Inc., URATEX Philippines, MERAV Bio-Nutraceuticals, Corp., Nuevochem Specialties, Inc., and Phoenix Petroleum.
Aside from MSU-IIT, six other HEIs were identified as NICER Program grantees for this year. These HEIs are the following:
Technological Institute of the Philippines – Center for Advanced Batteries
Isabela State University – Smart Water Infrastructure and Management
Mariano Marcos State University – Coastal Engineering Research Center
Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Center for Environmental Technologies and Compliance
Laguna State Polytechnic University – Center for Lakes Sustainable Development
De La Salle University – Laguna – Center for Vector of Diseases
The NICER is just one of four capacity-building programs that compose the Science for Change Program (S4CP). The S4CP is DOST’s larger program that was created to accelerate STI (science, technology, and innovation) in the country.
Mr. Jayson R. Pucot, MSU-IIT’s MS Biology student, Ms. Jea Christine Escala, BS Biology alumna, and Prof. Cesar G. Demayo, faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences and the Project leader of the Climate Change Research Group of the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics (PRISM) won the Best Paper award during the recently concluded International Conference on Research, Innovation, and Investment (ICRII).
Their paper entitled Phytochemical Screening, GC-MS Analysis and In vitro Pharmacological Investigations of Myristica simiarum A.DC Bark Ethanolic Extract is co-authored by Dr. Mark Lloyd Dapar, faculty member of the Department of Biology of the Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon.
The virtual international conference that was held on May 17-20, 2021 gathered more than 300 participants from different countries across the globe, such as Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Philippines, and Taiwan.
The country’s president, Hon. Rodrigo R. Duterte, gave his message during the conference’s Opening Ceremonies. Philippine Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri keynoted the Innovation and Investment Forum, and Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, author of Innovative Startup Act, talked about investments in innovation and entrepreneurship in the conference.
Winners for the Best Paper, Best Presenter, and Most Number of Delegates (institutional level) were announced during the Awards Ceremony. The Best Paper awardees hope that their paper gets published in the Mindanao Journal of Science and Technology (MJST), a scientific journal published bi-annually by USTP and indexed by Scopus and Clarivate Analytics.
ICRII is an annual gathering of international and local researchers, innovators, investors, policymakers, and leaders who come together to address innovations, existing and emerging trends, best practices, and other developments in specific fields and pursue advanced research and innovation frameworks. The conference covered presentations on the following topics:
Food Security and Safety
Energy Sufficiency and Security
Information and Communication Technology
Industrial Development
Infrastructure and Transportation
Gender and Development
Science and Technology Education
Language and Communication
Social Science and Humanities
Natural Sciences
Mathematical Sciences
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The ICRII was hosted by the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) with this year’s theme The Emerging Role of Research, Innovation, and Investment in a Disruptive World.
