Dr. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr. currently serves as the 1st President of Biliran Province State University (BiPSU), bringing a wealth of experience from various roles in the academic field. His pursuit of excellence in education was evident from his early years. At Kawayan National High School, he was a consistent honor student, demonstrating dedication and academic prowess. This foundation was built upon his earlier years at Masagongsong Elementary School, where he was recognized as a consistent honor pupil, setting the stage for his future academic achievements.
Dr. Cañezo's educational journey continued at Leyte Normal University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, majoring in English. His commitment to advancing his knowledge led him to Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, where he obtained a Master of Arts in Educational Management as a full scholar of the Institute of the Development of Educational Administrator (IDEA). His higher education culminated in earning a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Naval State University. Complementing these significant academic qualifications, Dr. Cañezo also holds a Diploma in Development Management from the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) under the Senior Executives Class of the Public Management Development Program (PMDP) and is a Certified Human Resource Practitioner (CHRP).
In 2023, Dr. Cañezo also graduated from the Global Academic Leadership Program (GALP) for State Universities and Colleges (SUC) and Local Universities and Colleges Presidents. The program provided him with essential transformative leadership skills. Through this scholarship grant from CHED, academic leaders like Dr. Cañezo were equipped to co-create innovative solutions through enhanced decision-making processes.
Dr. Cañezo’s professional path has been characterized by a series of progressive leadership positions within the educational sector. His tenure as SUC President III of BiPSU since 2019 has been marked by initiatives aimed at enhancing the university's academic standards and reputation. Before his presidency, he served as the OIC University President from 2017 to 2019 and as University & Board Secretary from 2016 to 2017. In his nearly four (4) years of incumbency as the youngest dean, he has made remarkable accolades to the college and the university. Not to mention, only during his term, the College of Education was declared twice as the Best College/ Bureau per Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Ranking for the years 2015 and 2016, and two of its programs, Bachelor of Elementary and Secondary Education, were granted its CHED Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC), the first to be awarded COPC in entire Region 8. It was also during his leadership that the BSED Program was granted accreditation Level III Phase 2 and BEEd Program Level II by the AACCUP.
His contributions to education have been recognized with several awards and distinctions. These include the Administrator's Honorific Award from the Region Eight Administrators League in 2021, the Outstanding Capstone Paper Award from the Development Academy of the Philippines in the same year, and the 2020 Outstanding Leadership in Education Award from the United Federation of Fil-Am Educators, Inc. In 2015, Naval State University honored him with the Best Teacher Award. In 2024, Dr. Cañezo was also honored at the Internationalization Champions of Nation-Building and Sustainability (ICONS) Awards, where he received the International Leadership Award as 1st Runner-up—notably becoming the only Higher Education Institution (HEI) president from the entire Visayas to earn this distinction. Most recently, in 2025, Dr. Cañezo was named a National Semi-Finalist Nominee for the prestigious Gawad Lingkod Bayan Award of the Civil Service Commission, a recognition of his exemplary public service and transformative leadership in higher education.
In addition to his administrative roles, Dr. Cañezo is a Professor IV, contributing to the academic community through teaching, research, and publication. He has authored multiple books in the field of Professional Education, reflecting his commitment to enhancing teaching and learning practices, including his recently published Scopus-indexed work on Transborder Leadership, recognized by DAP as the best capstone paper on management.
Dr. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr., as the President of BiPSU, has overseen a period of notable academic recognition for the institution. This was highlighted in President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s 2nd State of the Nation Address (SONA), where he mentioned the increasing presence of Philippine Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in global university rankings. BiPSU, under Dr. Canezo's administration, was recognized for its contribution to this national educational advancement.
BiPSU's recent acknowledgments in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) and the QS Stars Rating System by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) indicate the university's progress in several key areas. In the 2023 WURI Crisis Management Rankings, BiPSU ranked 14th, showing an improvement from its 22nd position in 2022. The university also maintains a commendable position in WURI's Global Top Innovative Universities category and ranks within the Top 51-100 for Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industrial Application, and Student Mobility and Openness. Recently, in 2025, BiPSU earned international recognitions in specific categories: 51st in Ethics and Integrity, 53 in Technology Development and Application, and 61st in University Brand and Reputation. This marks BiPSU’s 5th consecutive year in the WURI rankings since 2021.
Additionally, in the QS Stars Rating, BiPSU received a 3-star overall rating, with 5-star ratings in specific categories, including Teaching, Employability, Academic Development, Social Responsibility, and Inclusiveness. This achievement marks BiPSU as the second university in its region to attain the QS Stars Rating.
Not only that, in 2024, BiPSU proudly entered the UI Greenmetric World University Rankings, ranking 19th in the Philippines and 633rd worldwide out of the 1,477 institutions from 97 countries. In the same year, the university, under his leadership, has also been consistently ranked in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, maintaining its place among the world’s best at Rank 1501+, standing alongside institutions from 115 countries across the globe since 2024.
On top of these achievements, BiPSU made history as the first state university in the Philippines to receive the Governance Trailblazer Award after successfully passing the Initiated Stage and showcasing exceptional performance at the Public Governance Forum. Dr. Cañezo personally defended the university’s strategic governance documents under the WoW BiPSU 2.0 Development Plan (2024–2027), presenting BiPSU’s progress and transformation through a strengthened governance system.
Moreover, the university, under his leadership was honored by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Central Office with the Outstanding Performance Award in the 2024 Agency Performance Review (APR). BiPSU emerged as one of only 14 agencies out of 308 nationwide to earn a perfect score of 5.00, making it the only agency in Eastern Visayas to achieve this prestigious recognition.
Beyond BiPSU's confines, Dr. Cañezo's influence permeates the broader academic milieu of Region 8. He helms two eminent consortia: The Eastern Visayas Higher Education Institutions - Flexible Learning Management System Consortium and the Pangandoy sa Hiraya: The Futures-Thinking Consortium of Higher Education Institutions in Eastern Visayas. His role in these consortia mirrors his unwavering commitment to elevating higher education standards, fostering institutional collaboration, and endorsing avant-garde academic paradigms in Eastern Visayas.
Furthermore, he has been elected as the President of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) Region 8. This marks a historic achievement for BiPSU, as it's the first time a president from the university has been chosen for this prominent role. Held at the Senate of the Philippines, the election saw Dr. Cañezo winning the majority vote, entrusting him with the oversight of ten State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the Eastern Visayas region. This new position complements his ongoing leadership at BiPSU, further highlighting his influence and dedication in the higher education sector.
As the caretaker of BiPSU, Dr. Cañezo’s approach to leadership is grounded in a vision to foster an educational environment that promotes academic excellence, research, and community engagement. His tenure is focused on preparing BiPSU to navigate the challenges of modern education while maintaining a commitment to inclusivity and innovation.
Dr. Cañezo’s career in education is not just a record of personal achievements but also a testament to his dedication to the growth and development of the institutions he has been a part of. His ongoing work at BiPSU is a continuation of this commitment, as he leads the university into a future of educational excellence and community impact.
[Updated as of September 2025]
