In an effort to dismantle misinformation and foster a culture of inclusivity, the third-year Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM) students from the School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME) successfully led a comprehensive seminar titled “Respecting Identity, Protecting Health: SOGIE, STDs, and Responsible Parenthood” on April 15 at the BiPSU Gymnasium.

The day-long initiative drew an audience of 311 second-year BSTM students, transforming the venue into a safe space for dialogue on traditionally sensitive topics. Organized as part of the GE–Understanding the Self course, the activity aimed to bridge the information gap that often leads to social stigma or poor health decisions among the youth.

The morning session opened with Dr. Ronabelle C. Bentor, SME GAD Secretariat, who unpacked the complexities of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE). Dr. Bentor’s discussion focused on practical applications of respect and the importance of recognizing diverse identities within everyday interactions.

Shifting the focus to physical well-being, Dr. Ana Maria Jagunos, University Physician, led the afternoon sessions on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and family planning. Dr. Jagunos emphasized the critical roles of prevention, early treatment, and informed consent in personal health management.

University President Prof. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr. lauded the initiative, underscoring the university's role in shaping holistic individuals.

"This student-led endeavor exemplifies our commitment to creating a 'weaving of worthiness' within our campus. By addressing these vital issues openly, we are not only educating our students on health and identity but also empowering them to become empathetic and responsible members of society," Prof. Cañezo stated.

The event was also conducted with the support of Dr. Erwin G. Salvatierra,  Vice President for Academic Affairs and Lifelong Learning Dr. Maribel N. Zipagan, Vice President for Student, Internationalization, and Strategic Partnerships and the concurrent Dean of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Dean #WoWBiPSU 

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘏𝘌𝘋 𝘈.𝘊.𝘏.𝘐.𝘌.𝘝.𝘌. 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘝𝘐: 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 (𝘎𝘈𝘋) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴 3, 4, 5, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 10, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘊𝘊𝘔𝘈𝘖 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴.