The personalities at the South South Climate Information Services conference

 Various stakeholders emphasizes the need for collaboration and an integrative approach to knowledge to combat climate change and its effects on agriculture and health during the conference "Climate Information Services in Health and Agriculture Research: The Mindanao Perspective" held last July 23-24, 2024, at the Acacia Hotel, Davao City.

The two-day event is organized by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ Philippines) South-South Collaboration on Climate Information and Services (SSCIS) Project in collaboration with the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao and the Ateneo de Davao University.

The SSCIS Project aims to promote effective and resilient communities in the Philippines through the use of climate information services (CIS) for decision making in planning and implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, focusing on the agriculture and health sectors. The project aims to make climate information available, enhance the capacity of different sectors to use this information, and provide other related services. 

Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao

 In her inspirational message, UP Mindanao chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao emphasized the need for integrative and transdisciplinary approaches for healthy and resilient communities. A virologist and health researcher, Murao cited the 'One Health' approach as an example of interdisciplinary perspective where the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health is emphasized.

"By adopting this integrative perspective, we need to start thinking 'trans-disciplinal'," Murao added. "By 'transdisciplinal,' I do not only mean the crossing of knowledge from one discipline to another, but also the bridging of the gap between academic knowledge derived from research and everyday pragmatic local knowledge derived from the lived experiences of people in government, industry, and other sectors and the Indigenous wisdom of the Lumad, Muslim, and other cultural communities. People outside academia have forms of knowledge that when fused with academic knowledge can generate more effective solutions to the grand challenges of the 21st century."

UP President Angelo Jimenez joined as a panelist in a discussion on "People" with the theme "Advancing Human Resource Development and Social Inclusion in Mindanao" during the second day of the Mindanao Development Forum 2024, on July 25, 2024, at Acacia Hotel Davao.

Pres. Jimenez shared UP's steps in fostering this agenda by highlighting the importance of quality education during the session.

He highlighted UP's strategies for ensuring the admissions system is inclusive, underscoring his focus on democratizing education access for Mindanaoans, including those from Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA). Examples are UP Mindanao's associate degree programs, the UP Lingap-Iskolar program, and the free online courses offered by the UP Open University as three areas of focus upon advancing this agenda, as well as collaboration and co-creating efforts with other SUCs.

In preparing the new generation of learners in Mindanao for the workforce, President Jimenez emphasized the need to acknowledge differences in each student's learning style and the challenge of tailoring the UP pedagogy to engage them. He noted that the education system has flaws in catering to new generations of learners. Therefore, he wants to challenge the teachers to reinvent their approaches.

Furthermore, he also shared the UP System's current mission of advancing and expanding its degree programs in Mindanao, such as the coming of the Doctor of Medicine in 2025 and the College of Engineering in the near future.

Representatives from other sectors joined the discussion to share their insights on Mindanao's development, including Michael Godinez from the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), University of Mindanao (UM) president Dr. Guillermo P. Torres Jr., Dr. Maria Theresa Mokamad from USAID, and Sec. Lope B. Santos III from the National Anti-poverty Commission.

In the photo above are (left-right) TWG BDI's John Carlo Evardo, PIDS' Jose Ramon Albert, UP Mindanao's Dean Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, Chancellor Murao, Pres. Angelo Jimenez, Sec. Leo Tereso Magno, UP Mindanao's Minerva Rosel, VCAA Annabelle Novero, Dean Cleto Nanola Jr., Research Director May Anne Mata, Dean Aurelia Luzviminda Gomez, Pahinungod Director Michael Gatela, and TWG BDI's Nhikki Pauline Lumayag.       

The Mindanao Development Forum 2024 aims to focus on the agenda of empowering people, sustaining prosperity, preserving the planet, nurturing peace, and fostering partnerships in Mindanao. It was organized by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), along with other local and foreign partner organizations.

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Asst. Prof. Miguel Carlo Guillermo and Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao (6th and 8th from left, respectively) with organizers and guests at the MSMED Week celebration

The University of the Philippines Mindanao was honored with multiple recognitions as a development partner at the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development (MSMED) Week celebration in Davao City on July 24, 2024.

Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao and Asst. Prof. Miguel Carlo S. Guillermo received a plaque and a certificate of recognition from the MSMED Council and the Department of Trade and Industry-Region XI (DTI-XI), respectively, for UP Mindanao's initiative in creating the Innovation and Development Accelerators Consortium for Start-ups (IDEAS) Davao.