USTP Claveria, UP Mindanao formalize partnership for gender-responsive AANR initiatives
By Carlos Ian H. Mendoza, STRATCOMM Staff Member, Dr. Nueva D. Salaan, STRATCOMM Coordinator, USTP Claveria
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The University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines in Claveria, Misamis Oriental (USTP Claveria) and the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP Mindanao), through the Gender and Development (GAD) Laboratory in the Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources (AANR) Sector, formalized their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on June 2, 2026, at the CLE Function Hall, USTP Claveria. The agreement aims to strengthen collaboration in research, extension, training, and community engagement initiatives that promote gender-responsive approaches in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector.
The MOA signing was attended by USTP Chancellor Dr. Renato O. Arazo and UP Mindanao Chancellor Dr. Lyre Anni E. Murao, together with Dr. Eric Randy R. Politud, Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Extension. Also present were officials and personnel from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Extension (OVCRIE), including the Research Office headed by Engr. Val Irvin Mabayo, Director, and the Extension and Community Relations Office–Gender and Development (ECRO-GAD) headed by Mr. Glenfford Esparcia, Officer-in-Charge.
Representatives from UP Mindanao and the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) also joined the activity, including Ms. Mitchiko A. Lopez, Project Leader of the UP Mindanao GAD Laboratory in the AANR Sector, Prof. Karen Joyce G. Cayamanda, and Ms. Meliza F. Abeleda, Officer-in-Charge of the Socio-Economics Research Division of DOST-PCAARRD.
Under the agreement, the UP Mindanao GAD Laboratory in the AANR Sector will serve as the partnership’s technical and knowledge hub. It will lead the development of gender-responsive research, training, and extension initiatives, manage GAD-related data and knowledge resources, and support the enhancement of evaluation and monitoring tools for joint programs and projects.
Meanwhile, USTP Claveria will integrate GAD principles into its research, instruction, extension, and community development programs. The campus will also provide access to research networks, field sites, datasets, and partner communities while participating in joint capacity-building, knowledge-sharing, and field implementation activities.
Through this partnership, USTP Claveria and UP Mindanao reaffirm their commitment to advancing gender-responsive and inclusive development initiatives in Northern Mindanao, strengthening collaboration in the AANR sector through research, innovation, extension, and community engagement.
USTP Claveria will support the partnership by integrating GAD principles into its research, instruction, extension, and community development programs. The campus will provide access to research networks, field sites, datasets, and partner institutions while participating in joint capacity-building activities, knowledge-sharing initiatives, and field-based implementation efforts.
Through the leadership of the two chancellors- Dr. Arazo and Dr. Murao , the guidance of the OVCRIE under Dr. Politud, and the participation of the Research Office, ECRO-GAD, and partners from UP Mindanao, the partnership aims to advance gender-responsive and inclusive initiatives in Northern Mindanao and other mutually agreed areas.
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