THE university participated in the 1st Higher Education Summit on Gender  Issues held at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City, Oct. 11-12.  Anchored on the theme “A call for partnership among HEIs to strengthen gender equality, development and peace,” the summit  gathered the presidents and GAD  focal persons of the 110 SUCs, and the initial batch of approximately 150 private HEI heads, including heads of specialized colleges.

Although not an initial GAD activity of CHED, the summit was its first major call for partnership among all HEIs to pursue the objectives of the Magna Carta for Women.  It  aimed to provide a situationer on the awareness of and good practices in school policies, curriculum, and research development programs and services pertaining to GAD.  It also aimed to reiterate the importance of the strategic role of higher education in capacity building and empowerment of women through appropriate gender and development activities as enunciated in the MCFW and its Implementing Rules; to identify the various GAD activities of HEIs that contribute to the institutionalization of GAD programs and effective utilizations of the GAD budget in SUCs to develop and maintain GAD projects that would effectively assist the localities where they are situated; and commit to a medium Term Action Plan to be implemented by all HEIs.

Along with CHED, the convenors were the Civil Service Commission; Philippine Council for  Women; UP Center for Women’s Studies; Miriam College Women and Gender Institute; and the Institute of Women Studies of St. Scholastica’s College. 

Highlights of the two-day summit were the welcome message by CHED Chairperson Patricia B. Licuanan; followed by the opening of the GAD exhibit, in which MMSU participated.  The participants had the opportunity to listen to speakers in two separate panels:  “Good practices in promoting gender fair education”; and “Addressing sexual harassment and violence against women.”   The workshop sessions in which participants were divided into 10 clusters enabled  them to share their views on the specific problems confronted by HEIs in complying with GAD laws; the actions/steps they would propose to take to solve these problems; and mechanisms or commitment of HEIs to comply with GAD laws.

Another highlight of the summit was the signing of the Higher Education GAD Agreement by all HEI presidents or their authorized representatives.  Three presidents also served as cluster chairpersons (Dr. Miriam E. Pascua,  MMSU;  Dr. Evelyn C. Cruzada, Leyte Normal University, and Dr. Lydia B. Echauz, Far Eastern University) presented the workshop reports.  Dr. Licuanan and Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, CSC chairperson, responded to the workshop reports

Capping the summit was the presentation of the Higher Education Gender and Development Accord with a declaration of commitment of the heads of  public and private HEIs by Dr. Ricardo E. Rotoras, Mindanao University of Science and Technology and PASUC president on behalf of of the Public HEIs; and Dr. Paolo E. Campos, Emilio Aguinaldo College and Coordinating Council for Private Education Association (COCOPEA) president on behalf of the private HEIs to the chairpersons of the CSC, CHED, and Philippine Commission on Women. 

Participants from MMSU included Dr. Pascua; Dr. Epifania O. Agustin, VPRE; Prof. Betty S. Malab, UCGAD focal person; Prof. Edna C. Nagtalon, GAD coordinator; Ms. Nataliza L. Llapitan, UCGAD staff; and Ms. Menissa A. Antonio.