A week after the result of the Licensure Examination for Teachers was released, the College of Education together with the LET Review Center gave a thanksgiving celebration to the new teachers of WVCST as promised.

                Based on the PRC LET Result, there are 107 passers out of 130 examinees from the College of Education who at the same time chose to review at WVCST LET Review Center. With a percentile rate of 82.31%, the College was ranked as #8 in the Top Performing Schools nationwide from the national passing rate of 31.22% for BEED and 39.75% for BSED. Also, the LET Review Center was able to produce one reviewee from the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College who successfully ranked #10 in the September 2013 licensure exam.  All, first in the history of WVCST.

                This achievement which was described by Dr. John Eric V. Juaneza as once only a desired dream but now it is a dream come true.  For him, the good result of the examination is a contributing factor for the College to become a University. He is also very elated being the Director of the Review Center, that although the 10^th placer of the LET is from NIPSC, the College Review Center was able to extend and share the expertise of its lecturers to him and helped him make it to the top 10.

                Dr. Ma. Asusina Asuncion E. Echaveria, Dean, College of Education expressed how proud the College of Education and the school are for this success and wished the passers good luck in the next endeavor and may they continue to work hard as they face their future.

                Likewise, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and at the same time College Administrator, Dr. Manuel A. Sanchez, Jr., conveyed his happiness especially that this is the first time for WVCST to be in the top 10 performing schools. He reminded the passers that whatever they do or wherever they go they are bringing the name of their Alma Mater. Passing the board exam he said is just the new beginning of the new horizon of their profession. “Continue dreaming, but for your dreams to come true dedicaton, hard work and commitment to your job is a must. Self confidence, motivation and determination are your best weapon in order to be successful in your chosen profession.”

                On her part, the VP for Admin and Finance, Dr. Nehema K. Misola commended the passers especially for uplifting the name of the school in the result of the examinations. She advised them that attaining their goal, they have to go out and multiply. They have to show what they have learned and what they can do as graduates of WVCST. “You will become the living testimony that WVCST exists. Passing the board, makes us parallel as teachers and professionals. However, you have to walk your talk. It is not just enough that you have passed the exam and you know all the theories. You have to show what you’ve got and have that commitment, perseverance, hard work and dedication so that the College can be proud of you. You have to model the truth and what is right and tell the world we are worth to be called a University.”

                Also present in the Thanksgiving celebration was Gerald B. Batarlan, the 10^th placer in the Licensure Exam from NIPSC whose success story touched everyone in the room especially when he said that “I’m not intelligent, I am only diligent . . . and even people looked down on our status in life, I was determined to study hard because I can see how my parents strive just to send us to school.” He inspired the passers by saying that poverty should never be considered an obstacle in attaining one’s dreams.

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            The College of Education, Technology and Livelihood Education Department, had their educational tour in Luzon for 5 days from October 21 to 25, 2013, to get abreast with the current technology of industrial companies and be exposed more to the best practices done by other State Universities that may be helpful for WVCST and its faculty.

The first stop of the group was Ifugao State University where they got impressed with the natural landscape of the campus and also had the chance to check on the different programs offered by the university.

                Before reaching the next destination, the group took a scenic route to Banaue Rice Terraces, The Sagada and the majestic Sierra Madre. They also had the chance to visit the Windmill turbine in Ilocos Norte where they generate electricity thru the movement of the wind, with all the turbines facing the ocean.

                Other universities visited by the group were the University of Northern Philippines, Pangasinan State University and the Mariano Marcos State University which offers Ceramic Engineering that made the university known as the Center of Development which was granted by CHED. Tarlac State University was also included in their destination where the University President toured them around including to the school business enterprise that really helps the university earn their income.

                The TLE faculty was warmly welcomed in Batangas State University by its VP for Academic affairs and its faculty members. Batangas State University showcased their library, where books are accounted thru bar codes, school gates are controlled by bar codes in their students’ IDs and impressive buildings like their 5-storey building, home-tel with elevator and wi-fi facilities all over the campus. They were even more impressed with the hospitality of the Batangueños when tokens were handed to them by the faculty of the state university.

                Meanwhile, there were two industrial companies that the group dropped in – the Tri-R and Choryo Industries, all located at Silang, Cavite. The Company President who happened to be an Ilongga, ushered them around showing the robotics, pneumatic, hydraulic technology and other huge machines. They were also exposed to some of the company’s operations like the cutting of hard and thick metals thru laser technology.

            The BLT or Busog Lusog Talino Health and Nutrition Thrust of WVCST Extension Services Division in cooperation with Jollibee Group Foundation and the Local Government Unit, is making progress with almost 50% of its recipients gained Normal Body Mass Index from being Severely Wasted Body Mass Index during the midyear measure for this school year 2013-2014.

                Based on the study made by ESD on 90 school recipients from the City and Province of Iloilo, from its Baseline implementation with 2,286 pupils (68%) Wasted (Low weight) and 1,077 pupils (32%) Severely Wasted (Malnourished), 48% or 1,586 of these pupils now weigh normal. Meanwhile, there are 1,289 pupils or 39% are still in the wasted Category, and only 429 pupils or 13% are left in the Severely Wasted Category.

                                The WVCST Extension Services Division has become an area implementing partner of Jollibee Group Foundation and the Local Government Unit in combating malnutrition in the country.  This is a school feeding program which is carried out to public school pupils from Grades 1 to 2 which were pointed out to belong to the Wasted and Severely Wasted Body Mass Index. Aside from the feeding program, the group also conducts lectures and seminars to pupils as well as to parents especially in facilitating the feeding program. Though there are feeding program facilitators, the parents are the ones tasked to prepare and cook low cost (Php 11 per meal, per child) but healthy meals for the pupils. The feeding runs for 136 days, from Monday to Friday, but the program continues with activities designed to educate the parents on food safety, meal planning and budgeting while values formation are taught to the pupils. A result assessment is then conducted. The Jollibee Group Foundation sponsored 75% of the program budget for the first year, and 50% for the 2^nd year. In the succeeding years they provided four personnel as facilitators to oversee the activities.  The Local Government also sponsored 25% of the program budget in the first year, 50% for the 2^nd year and later the budget was provided both by the LGU and the DEP-ED. It also provides social and health workers, a nurse and rural health physicians.

                This project started in 2009 with only 7 schools in the City of Iloilo as recipients wherein WVCST was then a local implementing partner of Jollibee Foundation and the LGU.  In school year 2010-2011, there were 12 school recipients coming from the City and Province of Iloilo and Guimaras. In 2011-2012, it increased into 38, then it became 68 in 2012-2013. For this year, there are already 90 school recipients of Busog Lusog Talino Health and Nutrition Program, 22 came from Iloilo City, 2 schools from the 1^st , 24 from the 3^rd District, 9 from the 4^TH District and 34 schools from the 5^th District.

                The BLT Program wishes to minimize if not zero in malnutrition in Region 6 by 2020 based on the millennium development code. This is designed not only to help fight hunger and malnutrition but also help the students focus in school as education is an essential tool to overcome poverty. Unfortunately, in the recent statistics, the City and Province of Iloilo ranks 2^nd in malnutrition while Region 6 is ranked 5^th in the whole country.

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                Western Visayas College of Science and Technology participated in a survey on Training Needs conducted by the Civil Service Commission. This is in line with the Commission’s  dream of becoming Asia’s Leading Center for Excellence for Strategic Human Resource and Organization Development  by 2030.

The Civil Service Commission thru its Regional Office 6, is conducting a survey in State Universities and Colleges while in other parts of the country, the chosen respondents are from the Local Government Units and others are from public organizations.

WVCST being a state college was chosen to be a respondent wherein the, administrators, directors, deans, department heads and Human Resource Management Practitioners or what they call the “critical group” became the respondents for this survey. Some of the questions asked in the study were the trainings that the respondents have already attended and the trainings needed to be conducted which are believed to be essential for the development of the college.

After the consolidation of the answers, the Commission will study and design the programs and trainings which will help the group achieve the developmental goals they aim in giving excellent and effective service for the clientele.

The participants were from the Main Campus as well as from the Satellite Campuses of WVCST. Mrs. Nelfa  J. Ampatuan of the CSC conducted the survey.

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                A team of auditors from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) came to WVCST to conduct an evaluation in compliance with R.A. 10595 or is more popularly known as the Conversion of WVCST into a University.

                The team headed by Dr. Catherine Q. Castañeda, Regional Director, CHED NCR  and OIC of the OPS, stayed in Iloilo for the two day evaluation not only of the Main Campus, but of the four other Satellite Campuses as well.

                The evaluation was composed of the review of the self evaluation reports, perusal of evidences and other supporting documents and interview with key informants. In addition, they also conducted an ocular evaluation of the school facilities including that of the Library.

                In her speech, Dr. Catherine Castañeda said that the Commission on Higher Education is tasked to upgrade the standard of education in the colleges and universities to prepare for the first high school graduates of the K to 12 program.

                “Quality assurance and typology are the key words now in higher education. We are moving away from what we were before which is not having enough number of years in basic education. Therefore, we are updating the whole education system of the country, from basic education to higher education. We also need to level the playing field which means whatever standards we have imposed on the private sector of our institutions in the country will now be applied also to the state colleges and universities as well as to local colleges.”

                In leveling the playing field the CHED needs to see everything that needs to be looked into in terms of quality assurance. Unfortunately, Dr. Castañeda said that roughly  12% of the colleges and universities go through accreditation which means majority of the schools are not accredited yet. Because of this the Commission assigned different groups to work on the accreditation and the technical panel is working hard to improve the curriculum. A typology program is also to be followed. The panel should classify institutions of higher learning into universities, professional schools or colleges wherein universities of research types or teaching should have 40-50% teachers with PhD’s.

                WVCST is the first institution to be evaluated by the CHED Committee in compliance with the Republic Act 10595- converting the college into a university. The Committee is responsible for the evaluation of the whole school by checking its developmental goals, the level that it has attained and would be helping the institution identify itself whether it should become a university, should remain a college or would become a university after a certain time.

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The Western Visayas College of Science and Technology Human Resource Department conducted a Computer Literacy and Report Writing for its Security Guards from the Main Campus as well as from the Satellite Campuses.

                This training-workshop aimed to broaden the ideas and skills of the Security Guards on the use of the different computer software and to upgrade their skills in writing reports which is essential in the role they play in the safety and protection of the WVCST community as well as to their personal life. It is also the objective of the training to hone their capabilities and skills as individuals.

                There were a total of thirty (30) participants, 11 coming from the Main Campus and 3 from every Satellite Campus namely SIPC (Miag-ao), LNCA ( Leon), DJSMMNC ( Barotac) and PDMC  (Dumangas).

                The Lecturers for this said training are from the College of Arts and Sciences with Ms. Christine Jamela S.Valsado who discussed the Basic Computer Literacy and helped them with their hands on training, while Ms. Yvonne E. Pampag did the Lecture and Workshop on Report Writing.

                Mr. Bonie S. Arenal, Administrative Officer V, spearheaded the workshop which started at 7:30am and finished at 5:00 in the afternoon.

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                To be able to comply with the International Organization for Standardization, Western Visayas College of Science and Technology conducted a training on ISO Simulation headed by Dr. Carmelo V. Ambut, VP for Research Development and Extension Services, Dr. Manuel A. Sanchez, Jr., VP for Academic Affairs, and Director Richard C. de Leon, Director, Research Services Division.

                The different groups involved in the training were the Deans’ Offices, Supply, Registrar and HRMO.

                Dr. Ambut, who was the main facilitator discussed Audit Simulation-Actual Internal Audit Activities and the Post Audit wherein the auditees had to report. It was then followed by the discussion of the Non- Conformance, Immediate Action, Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action which were then presented by each group. Dir. Richard de Leon later discussed the Abstraction checking whether they were doing the right thing. After reading the samples, there was a group presentation of Audit results, followed by critiquing.

                The Training ended with the awarding of certificates to the participants.

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