By Brithney Nicole Raguindin, STRATCOM Intern

The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) has secured a Php 500,000 grant from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to develop a culturally appropriate and sustainable distance education framework for Indigenous communities in Ilocos Norte.

MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr. welcomed the grant by signing a memorandum of agreement with the NCCA, represented by Director Eric Zerudo, on April 28 at the Center for Flexible Learning. The signing was witnessed by College of Teacher Education (CTE) Dean Ronald Candy Lasaten and faculty members.

The project, titled “Culturally Appropriate and Sustainable Distance Learning Education Framework for Indigenous Communities (Cultural Exchange),” is led by Technical-Vocational and Livelihood Education Department Chair and Principal Investigator Regie Fabro, along with research staff Jareason Fabre, Christian Jeffrey Balintec, and Nathaniel Dave Gatchalian.

According to Dr. Fabro, the project is expected to lead to improved educational outcomes and help bridge the digital divide among students. As MMSU-CTE is recognized as a Center of Excellence in Teacher Education, this initiative is said to extend its expertise to communities, such as Indigenous Peoples.

Under NCCA Board Resolution No. 2025-093, the commission approved the grant to support the nine-month implementation of the project, which runs from April to December this year. Students and teachers from Indigenous communities will be the primary beneficiaries of the MMSU-led initiative.

In addition to the NCCA, MMSU will collaborate with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte to further support the project’s goals of enhancing educational access, equity, relevance, and effectiveness, while also preserving Indigenous cultural values.

NCCA serves as the lead government agency in safeguarding, developing, and promoting Filipino culture through policies, programs, and endowment funds for culture and the arts. It provides grants to creatives and cultural advocates for initiatives such as MMSU’s.