In Unity, there is Strength: PUP-COC & CeNS Pact Neighbourhood Partnership
Broadcasted on Zoom and Facebook Live, last Tuesday, October 26, the College of Communication (COC) of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and Centre for Neighbourhood Studies (CeNS) certified their partnership through signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
CeNS’s Sense
Encouraged by its prime mover centre, the Centre for Sustainable, Healthy, and Learning Cities and Neighbourhood — Centre for Neighbourhood Studies (CeNS) is an autonomous, non-government, and non-profit organization that vows in promoting and enhancing a more sustainable neighbourhood. This organization sees research and capacity building in environmental and neighbourhood planning as one of the pillars to achieve a more resilient community.
On the 9th of September 2019, the organization elected Dr. Mario R. Delos Reyes as the organization’s president and chief executive officer. Currently, CeNS is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Synergizing for a Smarter Tomorrow
The program commenced with the opening remarks by the Dean of PUP-COC, Dr. Hemmady S. Mora. Her opening remarks emphasized the importance of productive collaborations, especially in a fast-paced era. Moreover, Dr. Mora expressed her gratitude to CeNS for choosing PUP-COC and its research department as an ally in achieving their community-centered goals. In her speech, the PUP-COC dean welcomed CeNS as they became part of the PUP-COC family in fulfilling their linked objectives.
Dr. Rudolph Anthony Lacerna, chairperson of the Department of Communication Research (DCR), shared a captivating story on how the paths of DCR and CeNS have crossed. The DCR chairperson was invited to be a host in Tala-Kalayaan, a virtual forum initiated by CeNS. Furthermore, selected DCR students, through Prof. Rosa Bella Quindoza, participated in the said virtual forum.
Dr. Lacerna expressed his enthusiasm with the union as he saw that this was a collaborative prospect in developing an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable neighbourhood of healthy and learning people. The spirit of the partnership was grounded on environmental planning and neighbourhood science to establish equitable access to quality basic services, sufficient economic opportunities, and cultivate balanced ecology.
The DCR chairperson outlined the benefits of the partnership as follows:
· The partnership will plot for projects oriented for the development of professional environmental planners, neighbourhood scientists, and communication and research practitioners;
· Conduct innovative training courses for environmental planning, neighbourhood policies, and communication science; and
· Internship purposes.
It was also stated by Dr. Lacerna that CeNS should expect efforts and initiatives from DCR faculty and students on the translation of academic studies into functional and adaptable formats, capacity building projects, and other related initiatives dedicated to bridge knowledge and practice. As a supplement, the alliance will also give DCR faculty and students a meaningful experience to collaborate, promote, and organize joint seminars and information sessions with common interests.
Dr. Anna Ruby Gapasin, PUP’s Vice President for Research, Extension, Planning, and Development, and Dr. Mario R. Delos Reyes, President, and CEO of CeNS, conveyed their messages as they highlight that the joint venture is significant in achieving both party’s mission and vision that is aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The noble and mutual principles, values, and convictions of PUP and CeNS made the alliance more possible.
Furthermore, Dr. Delos Reyes anticipated that this partnership with PUP would pave the way for more collaborations in the future as he seeks PUP’s professional assistance to help the marginalized through rooting on education and research extensions.
The event’s spotlight transpired during the signing of the MOU between PUP and CeNS. The memorandum was signed by Dr. Gapasin, Dr. Mora, and Dr. Lacerna to represent PUP, while Dr. Delos Reyes, Ms. Nancy Aguda (CeNS’s Corporate Secretary), and Ms. Angelina D. Caluag (CeNS’s Chief Finance Officer) affixed their signatures to constitute CeNS. With the esteemed representatives’ signatures, formalized the collaborative and collective movement of PUP and CeNS.
The program concluded with a closing remark from Dr. Edna T. Bernabe, PUP-COC Faculty Extensionist. In her speech, she underscored the primary goal of the partnership — extending help, and that helping knows no boundary, setting, and situation.
The virtual event was presided by Prof. Emmanuel Santos and was organized by the premier academic organization of DCR, Circle of Research Enthusiasts (CORE), and the official publication arm of the department, UNDERSCORE.
