The quest for the eight president of Benguet State University continues as the five candidates vying for the position have presented their agenda through a public forum conducted on October 22, 2020 at the University Gym.

The five aspirants include: Dr. Jimmy B. Fong, Professor VII of UP Baguio; Dr. Serafin L. Ngohayon, University Professor VI of IFSU; Dr. Felipe S. Comila, Professor IV of BSU; Dr. Joel V. Lubrica, Professor VI of BSU, and Dr. Maria Luz D. Fang-Asan, Professor V of BSU. Atty. Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro, Executive Director V, CHED Central Office, and chair of the Search Committee said in her opening remarks that the public forum should help the community see who among the applicants represent the directions that the University stakeholders would like to take.

“This is not just an introduction of the applicants but bringing the power of choosing the president for the stakeholders as well,” said Atty Jaro. “If these stakeholders of BSU would be able to hear and see the vision, mission, goals and objectives of the applicants and the directions they wanted to take, BSU stakeholders would be able to raise questions and expound their ideas. This would guide the members of the search committee on what kind of leader they (BSU stakeholders) want,” she added.

Dr. Jimmy B. Fong who first presented, welcomed the participants with a Badiw (an Ibaloi chant). “I acknowledge and pay my respect to the Indigenous peoples of Benguet who gave their lands for BSU that we might learn, that we might live,” Dr. Fong intoned. He envisions BSU as a research university with strong cultural foundations serving the new world. Dr. Fong stressed in his presentation the acronym RICHES which stands for: Respect for cultures or spiritualities; Innovation or iteration; Community engagement; Historical consciousness; Environmental responsibility; and Stewardship. He believes that these values and principles should lead us (BSU stakeholders) as we write a new century for Benguet State University. The next candidate who presented was Dr. Serafin L. Ngohayon. His vision is for BSU to be a premier University in Southeast Asia.

“I came here to share transformational leadership one that pursues a novel vision. Acts with authenticity and honesty, spouses with a growth mindset and supports creativity and new ideas,” he said. Dr. Ngohayon aims to pursue five major goals: Instruction: BSU must pursue academic excellence; to make BSU a renowned research University; to accelerate community; to nurture viable and lucrative income generation; and to institutionalize good governance. He was followed by Dr. Felipe S. Comila who envisions BSU as an international university engendering graduates to walk the intergenerational highways. Dr. Comila emphasized the acronym CARES which stands for: Challenge innovation; Advance technology and facilities; Revitalize administration; Engender partnership; and Serve to sustain intergenerational roles. He ended his presentation by describing his journey as one who has applied for the presidency several times. “(I have) the courage from within to keep moving, rising, going, walking, and running towards my dream with patience, perseverance, passion, prayer to pursue my purpose and destiny in life and so I sing and pray, maybe this time.” Dr. Joel V. Lubrica based his vision on Presidential Decree 2010 that states “A model State University that exhibits vibrancy, resilience, and commitment to continual improvement.” Dr. Lubrica’s core values resonates in the acronym CORDI that stands for Clientorientedness, Oneness, Resilience, Dedication, and Initiative.

“With the underlying CORDI values, and through the application of the Plan-DoCheck-Act cycle, the University will always be better today than yesterday,” Dr. Lubrica said. Meanwhile, Dr. Maria Luz D. Fang-Asan envisions BSU as a dynamic hub for modern science, traditional knowledge and responsive education towards sustainable development. Dr. Fang-asan indicated her development goals into the acronym MAPTENG. Mapteng which literally means good from two major languages of Benguet: Ibaloi and Kankanaey. Dr. Fang-asan’s MAPTENG development goals stands for: Modify academic programs; Advance Research-Extension-ProductionInstruction Interface; Promote viable income generating projects; Translate administrative policies into effective solutions; Elevate human resource management systems and practices; Negotiate new strategies for BSU landholdings and physical plant; Generate functional partnerships. “I am a dreamer and a doer, I have always look at us BSU people as a dream team despite our flaws and weaknesses. Among us are very qualified teachers, seasoned researchers, extension workers, tested project managers and a functional administrative supports staff. All of whom I’m already perform excellently especially with the right direction and conducive environment.....put a dreamer and a dream team together and a great institution like BSU will even soar to greater heights,” she expressed.

The public forum is one of the four major criteria for evaluation and is equivalent to 25% of the total score. The other criteria include professional competence equivalent to 35%, academic background-, 25% and panel interview,15%. As of this writing, the Search Committee and the University Board of Regents are still on the process of scrutinizing the candidates. No definite date has been set yet for the final result of the selection. //DSEmok