by Rex Godinez Ortega
The Metrobank Foundation visited the Office of the Chancellor on October 19 to award MSU-IIT for producing Dr. Mark Anthony J. Torres, one of the winners of its 2016 Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT) for the higher education competition category.
The foundation’s representative, Mr. Pepe Gerald Ocaya, head of the Metrobank Iligan branch, turned over a Plaque of Recognition to Chancellor Sukarno D. Tanggol in simple ceremonies held at the Institute Boardroom.
Ocaya also gave Tanggol a Certificate of Recognition for being the official nominator of Torres.
On top of the plaque and the certificate, Ocaya turned over P50,000 to the Chancellor as initial funding for a project to be undertaken by Torres.
The amount given is part of Metrobank’s plan of continuously engaging its SOT awardees by prioritizing project proposals sent by them.
Torres, as officer-in-charge of the Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM), is proposing to undertake an education training entitled, Staying Alive: Safety and Security Guidelines for Researchers and Extension Workers in Conflict-Affected Areas.
Torres is one of only two college teacher-recipients of the SOT award for this year, and the youngest to receive it in the tertiary level. He received a gold medallion, a trophy, and a cash prize of P500,000 as winner of the 2016 SOT.
Torres is the third faculty member of MSU-IIT to ever receive the award. The other two are Dr. Zenaida Ochotorena and Dr. Jaime An Lim.
Dr. Ruben Abucayon of the College of Education is also an SOT awardee (secondary education) who received the award when he was still teaching in the CARAGA region.