As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), officials from UPLB’s College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS) conducted an expert visit to BiPSU from August 21-23.

The seven-member delegation, led by UPLB CAFS Dean Prof. Elpidio M. Agbisit, Jr., assisted in the assessment and monitoring of the agriculture program at BiPSU-Biliran Campus.

On the first day of the visit, BiPSU-Biliran Campus hosted a conference where Prof. Agbisit shared UPLB-CAFS’ best practices, highlighting their innovative programs, research, and commitment to advancing agricultural education.

Assoc. Prof. Adeliza A. Dorado, CAFS' Associate Dean for Instruction, discussed possible faculty and student exchange opportunities between BiPSU and UPLB, while Prof. Eureka Teresa M. Ocampo, Director of UPLB's Institute of Crop Science, explored potential collaborations for research between the two institutions.

The UPLB delegation also included Prof. Amado Angeles, Director of the Institute of Animal Science; Assoc. Prof. Niña Gracel B. Dimaano, Instruction Coordinator for BS Agricultural Biotechnology, major in Crop Protection Biotechnology; Prof. Dennis Marvin O. Santiago, Director of Food Science and Technology; Prof. Eureka Teresa M. Ocampo, Director of the Institute of Crop Science; and Ms. Maria Teofil P. Lantayan, University Researcher.

Students from BiPSU’s School of Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as faculty members, attended the conference.

Future Collaborations

This visit is a direct outcome of the MOU signed between BiPSU and UPLB in May 2024, which aims to strengthen collaboration and promote knowledge exchange in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

During a UPLB’s courtesy visit to BiPSU University President, Dr. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr. revealed that he had invited CAFS officials to help BiPSU assess its Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) program.

“For me, UPLB is one of the best schools to partner with in terms of agri-fisheries because we all know that UPLB is one of the leading institutions in the country,” Dr. Cañezo said.

Dr. Cañezo also emphasized that BSA is the flagship program of BiPSU-Biliran Campus. However, he noted that enrollment and passing rates have been consistently low in recent years.

“Perhaps it’s because BSA is a challenging program, and students often see it as a second-choice option,” he added.

In response, Dean Agbisit offered assistance in improving the program. "Maybe we’ll have to redesign and rebrand the programs so that students will be more attracted to agriculture and fishery courses," he suggested.

Prof. Agbisit also mentioned the possibility of faculty members from BiPSU’s School of Agriculture and Fisheries visiting UPLB for benchmarking activities.

Plans to Offer Food Science Program

After the courtesy visit, Dr. Cañezo gave the UPLB delegation a tour of BiPSU’s Food Research and Development Center and Microbiology Laboratory.

Dr. Cañezo expressed his enthusiasm about offering a food science program. “We are actually planning to offer a program related to food science,” he said. “We have some facilities, and we recently hired a faculty member who graduated in food science, so maybe we could launch this program.”

Prof. Dennis Marvin O. Santiago, Director of UPLB's Institute of Food Science and Technology, affirmed that BiPSU could be capable of offering a Bachelor of Food Science and Technology (BFST) program.

“May food center kayo, kaya dapat may program rin kayo na in food science [You have a food center, so you should also have a program in food science],” Prof. Santiago said. “Sa nakikita namin ngayon, you actually have the resources to offer BFST, siguro i-assist namin kayo ["From what we see now, you actually have the resources to offer BFST, maybe we can assist you].”

Dr. Cañezo expressed his gratitude for UPLB’s technical assistance and hoped that this expert visit would be just the beginning of more collaborations and engagement between the two universities.

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