The Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) is privileged to have an active pool of international partners whose allyship has grown more and more valuable throughout the years in our common interest to foster strategic internationalization and quality education. Hence, the series of meetings and courtesy visits from various embassies that ushered in the beginning of this year was a welcome engagement for the University.
For instance, last 25 January 2023, the University President, Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. welcomed the following guests from the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS): Ms. Pauline Anderson, Deputy Public Engagement Attaché (Grants Officer); Ms. Jennifer Anne Pascua, American Spaces Program Coordinator; Mr. Paul Thomas, Regional Public Diplomacy Officer; and Ms. Kimberly Jane Tan, Strategic Public Engagement Specialist. They were also joined by Mr. Jeremy S. Eliab, ADDU Executive Vice President, and American Corner Davao Director and ADDU Director of Libraries and AV Center, Ms. Fretzie A. Fajardo.
Afterward, the delegation met with Mr. Vinci R. Bueza, Ateneo Internationalization for Mindanao Office Director. The group explored avenues for collaboration between ADDU and the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section that would extend the current linkage via the American Corner Davao, ran by the University Library.
The American Corner Davao is an integral part of the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section’s mission of promoting U.S. and Philippines relations in the areas of education, innovation, and civil society development. The AC Davao – PAS partnership is one of the longest collaborations we have in the University, running for almost thirty years.
Additionally, last 21 February 2023, the Education Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Manila and guests from the Confucius Institute (CI) at the Angeles University Foundation had a courtesy visit with ADDU’s University President, Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. CI-ADDU English Director Dr. Maricar Gay V. Panda. The Educational Counsellor, Mr. Xiong Sheng, and Secretary, Mr. Jia Yanpeng, from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Philippines, expressed their appreciation of the Confucius Institute, and desire to realize more partnerships. The group was joined by CI-ADDU Chinese Director Prof. Shenglin Zhang, and AIM Office Director Mr. Vinci R. Bueza.
After the campus tour, the delegates met with the guests from CI-Angeles headed by their Chinese Director, Mr. Xu Lei; Philippine Director, Dr. Cavin Pamintuan; and Administrative Officer, Ms. Myleen Camille Sarmiento-Pinlac.
The University also hosted visitors from the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines last 23 February 2023. The exploratory meeting was able to foster linkages and discuss partnership opportunities for academic and research collaboration with the Embassy of Canada and Canadian institutions in key industries such as, but not limited to, education, clean technologies (including renewable energy and water and wastewater management), Information Communications Technology (ICT), and life sciences.
ADDU Executive Vice President, Mr. Jeremy S. Eliab, welcomed the delegation from the Embassy of Canada: Mr. Guy Boileau, Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner; Ms. Angel Cachuela, Trade Commissioner; Mr. Jesus Antonio Sanchez, Trade Commissioner for Clean Technologies (Renewable Energy and Water/Waste Water Management); and Mr. Mykell Jizen Reyes, Commercial Officer, Province of British Columbia.
Also present in the meeting were administrators from ADDU: Ms. Liza G. Floresca, RN, MAN, Ph.D., DNS, School of Nursing Dean; Ms. Magnolia May A. Jadulang, MAN, School of Nursing RLE Coordinator, Engr. Randell U. Espina, Ph.D., School of Engineering and Architecture Dean; and Mr. Romulo Vinci R. Bueza, Director of the Ateneo Internationalization for Mindanao Office. In addition, representatives and partners of ADDU Create – Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technologies and Mindanao Renewable Energy R&D Center (MREC), headed by its Director, Dr. Engr. Nelson H. Enano, Jr. joined the meeting. MREC, a collaborative research and development program on renewable energy, established by ADDU through CREATE and the Department of Science and Technology, shared their research projects concentrated on solar power, marine/ocean renewable energy, biomass and gasification, systems integration of renewable energy, etc.
The group was one in the pursuit of the University’s mission to empower science and technology instruction, research, and technologies for renewable energy.