
August 18, 2025 – DEBESMSCAT President, Dr. Arnel B. Millesca, together with leaders from SUCs and selected private HEI in Region V, officially signed the CHED-SIKAP Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on August 18, 2025, at Casa Lorenzo, Tagas, Daraga, Albay. The ceremonial signing marked a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts of higher education institutions to enhance the quality of instruction and promote faculty advancement in the Bicol Region.
Representing the Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT), President Dr. Arnel B. Millesca signed the MOA alongside other HEI leaders in Bicol.
He was joined by Dr. Bernard M. Barruga, Dean of the Graduate School, who also expressed strong support for the initiative.
During the ceremony, Dr. Millesca delivered a heartfelt message of support and gratitude, emphasizing DEBESMSCAT’s honor and responsibility as one of the delivering HEIs in the Bicol Region. He highlighted the importance of SIKAP in empowering educators, fostering academic excellence, and shaping a brighter future for higher education in the region.
The event showcased the unity and cooperation among SUCs and private HEIs in Region V. By working together under the CHED-SIKAP program, these institutions reaffirmed their shared commitment to building a strong foundation for knowledge advancement and faculty growth.
This partnership ensures that higher education institutions can collectively produce more competent, research-oriented, and globally competitive educators who can better serve their students and communities.
The CHED-SIKAP program is expected to bring long-term benefits to the higher education sector by:
- Supporting faculty members in pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees.
- Enhancing the quality of teaching and research.
- Building academic leadership and innovation in higher education.
For Bicol, this means a stronger, more competitive pool of educators who can help shape the future of learning and contribute to regional and national development.
The MOA signing for CHED-SIKAP scholarships stands as a testament to the government and HEIs’ shared commitment to faculty advancement. With DEBESMSCAT and other SUCs and private institutions leading the way, the program promises a brighter and more sustainable future for Philippine higher education.
As Dr. Arnel B. Millesca expressed in his message, the opportunity to serve as one of the delivering HEIs in the Bicol Region is both an honor and a responsibility, one that DEBESMSCAT fully embraces in support of CHED’s mission for knowledge advancement and academic excellence.