MANILA, Philippines—Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Samar State University (SSU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) forged a formal partnership yesterday, March 6 (25), at the SWR, Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, UST, Manila. This partnership enables the two academic institutions to work together on heritage, culture, tourism-based projects, and research engagements in the Samar Province.
The MOU was signed by SSU President Dr. Redentor S. Palencia, together with the Dean of UST Graduate School Prof. Michael Anthony C. Vasco. Also present during the ceremonial signing were Engr. Mirador G. Labrador, SSU’s Vice President for Research and Extension Services, Dir. Maria Rubi M. Parrocho, SSU’s Director for Research Center for Culture and Social Issues (RCCSI), and Dr. Benjamin L. Pecayo, President of Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU), another institutional partner of the said undertaking.
This partnership is anchored on the UST Graduate School–Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics’ (GS-CCCPET) “Pagtuloy” initiative, a program that seeks to promote culture and heritage utilization to drive progress in the Samar Province.
Additionally, the partnership aims to enhance research quality and innovation through interdisciplinary approaches by combining expertise from different fields of academic institutions, sharing resources and expertise to leverage the strengths and knowledge of faculty, researchers, and institutions, fostering sustainable partnerships by establishing long-term academic relationships that support continuous collaboration, addressing global and societal challenges, and contributing to evidence-based policymaking and community development.
Early this year, SSU’s RCCSI also engaged in an ongoing collaboration with GS-CCCPET on the conduct of the US Embassy-funded project, “Sentinels of the Sea: The Fortification of Samar Documentation Project,” a study that examines and preserves the region’s historical fortifications.