Catbalogan City, Samar – With the theme “Addressing Poverty Challenges through Multidisciplinary Approaches and Collaborations,” Samar State University (SSU) holds the 1st National Conference on Poverty and Sustainable Development, or PovCon 2017, today at the M Grand Royal Resort, Catbalogan City.
The three-day conference is an initiative of SSU to mitigate poverty in Samar “through quality and relevant higher education” aligned with SSU’s vision, Strategic Plan 2017-2021, and advocacy along social transformation, as SSU President Dr. Marilyn D. Cardoso stated in her welcome address.
Dr. Cardoso further quoted the Philippines’ alarming poverty incidence recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority as another basis of SSU to “spearhead in rallying poverty alleviation,” stressing our role in “nation-building.”
Sharing the same advocacy, Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan and Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan-delos Santos in their welcome addresses both acknowledged the help that the academe can extend in mitigating poverty, starting with the PovCon.
The governor also shared that Dr. Sherrie Ann C. Labid, PovCon 2017’s lead convenor and SSU Research Center for Culture and Social Studies Director, had expressed to her the need to talk about poverty, considering that it has been felt but was never discussed.
In line with the administration’s AmBisyon Natin 2040 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, Dr. Labid also explained that the PovCon is a platform for sharing and transferring knowledge among participants from different institutions for the former to “embody their roles in the development of the province and the country in general.” Specifically, it will provide “competitive insights and ‘evidence-based’ views of best research practices.”
The conference covers themes on poverty eradication program, economic development, government, geography, culture, agri-fishery, ecotourism, and environment and natural resources.
PovCon is an initiative of SSU and its partners Provincial Government of Samar, City Government of Catbalogan, Northwest Samar State University, Eastern Samar State University, and University of Eastern Philippines.
This is participated by 21 municipalities of Samar, Catbalogan City, University of the Philippines in the Visayas Tacloban Campus, Isabela State University, Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Western Philippines University, Nueva Vizcaya State University, Fr. Saturnino Urios University, Visayas State University, Eastern Visayas State Unviersity, Guimaras State College, Cagayan State University-Carig Campus, Naval State University, Northwest Samar State Unviersity, University of Eastern Philippines, Samar State University, University of Southeastern Philippines, Marinduque State College, Office of the Samar Provincial Agriculturist, Entrepreneur-Sariaya, Quezon, and others.