Philippine-Australia Facility recognizes MSU-IIT masters graduates
by Alita Roxas, SGS
The Philippines-Australia Human Resource and Organisational Development Facility (PAHRODF) recognized Ebil Datumanong and Victor Constantine Cinches, graduates of the Institute’s Master in Sustainable Development Studies (MiSDS), in ceremonies at the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City.
Datumanong and Cinches, MiSDS graduates who majored in Economic Development and Environmental Engineering, respectively, were among 46 successful graduates under the In-Country Scholarships Program (ICSP) of PAHRODF.
The Australian Government through the PAHRODF established and funded the ICSP to provide postgraduate scholarship grants “to help strengthen select Philippine institutions or individuals in priority fields relevant to current development trends” in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
The ICSP is an initiative to complement the Australia Awards, which supported over 2,000 Filipinos to undertake post-graduate studies in Australia’s leading universities in the last two decades. It provides professional development opportunities for Filipinos who are unable to study in Australia because of work or family demands. The program was piloted in six partner academic institutions: University of the Philippines, Asian Institute of Management, Asian Social Institute, Ateneo De Davao University, the University of Southeastern Philippines, and the MSU-IIT.
Ninety-nine scholarship grants were awarded in 2012 and 2013. The pioneering batch pursued degrees in education, social protection and community development, urban planning and infrastructure development, public administration and governance while the second batch pursued programs in peace and development, public health, human resource and organisational development, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction and management.
MSU-IIT has eleven ICSP grantees, all enrolled in the MiSDS Program. Nine other scholars, as with the other scholars of ICSP partner institutions who are all finishing their special projects/theses, are expected to graduate in the first or second semesters of SY2015-2016.
Warren Hoye, Acting Counselor on the Political and Economic Section of the Australian Embassy, announced during the Recognition Ceremonies that a third batch of ICSP intakes will be chosen for 2015. No new intakes were recorded for 2014.
Attending the ceremonies were Geoff King, Counsellor for Governance of the Australian Emabassy in Manila and Board Member of the PAHRODF, Robert Martinez, Acting Chair of the Civil Service Commission and Board Member of the PAHRODF, Rolando Tungpalan, NEDA Deputy Director General and Board Member of the PAHRODF, Region XI Officials of the Commission of Higher Education, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Civil Service Commission, heads of Davao-based ICSP partner institutions, the Deans/Directors of the Graduate Schools of the partner institutions and the guests of the ICSP graduates.
Front row, left to right: Milalin Javellana, PAHRODF Facility Director; Civil Service Commissioner Robert Martinez; Geoff King, the Australian Embassy’s Counsellor for Governance; Rolando Tungpalan, NEDA Deputy Director-General; Warren Hoye, the Australian Embassy’s Acting Counselor on the Political and Economic Section; Dr. Susan Labutap, CHED XI Education Supervisor. Second row, left to right: Victor Constantine Cinches, MiSDS graduate; Alita Roxas, Graduate School Acting Dean, MSU-IIT; Datumanong Ebil, MiSDS Graduate.
All photos are courtesy of the PAHRODF ICSP.
Topics : Australia Awards Master in Sustainable Development Studies PAHRODF