BukSU, local partners sign MOAs for 11 Community-Based Initiatives

Bukidnon State University (BukSU) formalized eleven extension projects through partnerships signed with its extension project partners during the University-Wide Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Signing Ceremony at the BukSU Audio-Visual Center on August 25, 2026.

The ceremony was coordinated by the Extension Services and Community Engagement Unit (ESCEU) under the Office of the Vice President for Research, Extension and Innovations (OVPREI).

Under BukSU’s BULIG framework, from the local word meaning to help, the university reinforces its mission to step out campus boundaries and deliver direct assistance to surrounding communities.

“Our classrooms may be where learning begins, but the community is where those learning finds meaning. Our laboratories may produce knowledge, but the community is where that knowledge can become a solution,” Dr. Joy M. Mirasol, University President, said.

She emphasized that external partners act as true co-creators, bringing invaluable lived experiences to the table that actively shape BukSU’s academic curriculum, research endeavors, and outreach initiatives.

A total of 20 separate agreements were finalized, spanning initiatives across four main campus colleges, two satellite campuses, and one university-wide program.

The College of Arts and Sciences leads three of the initiatives, focusing on an organic gardening project to boost food security in Malaybalay City, a communication skills program partnered with a business process outsourcing firm, and a radio-based instruction project for alternative learning.

Focused on inclusive economic opportunities, the College of Business partnered with ten barangays through separate agreements to execute a livelihood and employment program for persons with disabilities.

Educational and health initiatives include an early literacy training program for teachers from the College of Education, alongside two College of Nursing projects targeting women’s menopausal care and local barangay health promotion.

The agreements also included a university-wide broadcast program via the Bukidnon Studies Center on DXBU 104.5 FM, as well as three satellite campus efforts with two official training programs for Baungon’s local and youth leaders, and a culinary entrepreneurship project for Lantapan youth.

The MOA signing united a diverse coalition of stakeholders, including the local governments of Malaybalay City, Lantapan, and Baungon, alongside national agencies like the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Key community and industry partners included Concentrix CVG Philippines Inc., the Liga ng mga Punong Barangay, the Bukidnon Tagoloanon Tribe Ancestral Domain, the Office of the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative, Natid-asan Christian Community Church, Inc., Don Camilo Osias Masonic Lodge No. 253, and 11 partner barangays in Malaybalay City.

Mirasol noted that the signing marks only the starting line, urging stakeholders to translate the written commitments into active, ongoing field implementation.

“So, as we sign these agreements today, let us remember that this is the beginning. The real question is: What will we do together after today?” Mirasol remarked. (Jan Isobel C. Hidalgo/ Head, ECE Management Staff)