Throughout 2025, the University of the Cordilleras (UC) put its research, faculty and students to work alongside national government agencies, regional bodies and civil society, giving direct input into the problems, policies and strategies that drive sustainable development in the Cordillera. From police technology to local governance, watershed management and gender-responsive education, UC’s partnerships moved from dialogue to practical tools.
Developing Policies and Strategies with National Government Agencies
May 23, 2025. The College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) organized the seminar “Respecting Rights, Empowering Voices: Indigenous Peoples Research and the FPIC Process” at the UC Auditorium. Mr. Rocky Jake C. Ngalob, an officer of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples–Cordillera Administrative Region (NCIP-CAR), explained who Indigenous Peoples are, the legal requirements of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), remedies for violations, and the call to empower Indigenous Peoples to research their own communities. The seminar supports SDG 10 and SDG 16.
October 23, 2025. The Research Services Office, with the Political Science Society, held a Policy-Making Seminar and Workshop on evidence-based policy and the development of policy briefs from research outputs. Students from different colleges, employees and guests from Benguet State University joined, advancing the principle of academic freedom in teaching (Indicator 16.2.6).
October 27–30, 2025. UC and the Department of the Interior and Local Government–CAR (DILG-CAR) held Pamahalahack: Reverse Hackathon on Strengthening the Local Special Bodies at the Orchards Hotel, Baguio City. Representatives from seven LGUs (Atok, Sadanga, Pinukpuk, Lubuagan, Bangued, Lacub and Calanasan) worked with UC CITCS and Innovation and Technology Transfer Office mentors, supported by second-year CITCS student coders, to turn governance gaps into prototypes on transparency, accountability and service delivery. Pinukpuk, Kalinga won the grand championship. DILG-CAR Assistant Regional Director Ruperto B. Maribbay Jr. noted that UC remains one of the region’s most active university collaborators in citizen-driven governance.
November 5–6, 2025. Three College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences faculty joined the Training of Trainers on Gender-Responsive Assessment Tools in Higher Education, organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in Baguio City. Participants applied the Gender-Responsive Assessment Tools scoring system and presented institutional action plans, supporting SDG 5.1 and SDG 4.7.
November 7, 2025. UC and the Police Regional Office–Cordillera (PRO-CAR) met to start the Web-Based Online Crime Evaluation System (WeBOCES). UC presented the project schedule and study plan, police officers reviewed sample survey questions, and PCOL Lazona committed to a dedicated PNP core group and a follow-up meeting, a model of identifying problems, shaping strategy and reviewing progress together.
Identifying Problems and Challenges, Modelling Likely Futures and Monitoring Interventions
June 17, 2025. After a site inspection and coordination meeting with school officials, UC Architecture students, through Project H.E.L.E.N., proposed a riprap slope protection system for Camp 7 Elementary School, a site vulnerable to soil erosion and runoff, an example of adaptive, climate-aware problem solving (SDG 11, SDG 13).
October 14–15, 2025. Project DANUM (Decision Support and Nurturing Management of Watersheds), funded by the DOST–National Research Council of the Philippines, was a finalist at the Northern Luzon leg of ClusteRICE 2025 of the DOST–Technology Application and Promotion Institute. DANUM builds a technology-enhanced watershed decision support system with communities, land-use models and land-cover maps for the Bued River watershed. Its partners include the City Government of Baguio, the LGUs of Tuba and Itogon, the Bued Water Quality Management Area, the Bued Watershed Council, DENR-CAR and DOST-CAR, including consultations for Tuba’s 10-year Water Resources Development and Protection Plan.
October 28–30, 2025. Two UC studies on the Bued River watershed won at the 15th Joint Regional Symposium on Research, Development and Extension Highlights, organized by CorCAARRD and CIEERDeC at Ifugao State University. One mapped groundwater vulnerability with the DRASTIC method; the other mapped carbon stock with the InVEST model, showing where land-cover change would most affect the watershed. Both give planners and local governments evidence for protecting water sources and forests (SDG 6, SDG 13, SDG 15).
December 17, 2025. Rights2LIFE members conducted a needs assessment with the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) in Sablan, Benguet. It identified staffing and equipment constraints, interagency coordination gaps, limited barangay knowledge of Republic Act 9344 and delays in court feedback, and recommended training in cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed care. The findings will guide interventions for child-sensitive justice and rehabilitation (SDG 16).
Regional Professional and Civil Society Policy Partnerships
July 20, 2025. The Cordillera Association of Nursing Deans (CAND), led by UC College of Nursing Dean Dr. Judith Odanee G. Magwilang as president, and the Philippine Nurses Association, in coordination with the Professional Regulation Commission–CAR, held the Nursing Leaders Forum. It covered board exam reforms aligned with Outcome-Based Education, licensure quality assurance, the Philippine Professional Nursing Practice Standards, and policies on master’s programs, staffing, salaries and return service agreements.
September 20–26, 2025. UC Architecture students and members of the Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) modeled inclusive community spaces and livelihood environments in seven Baguio barangays, with facilitators from TAO-Pilipinas, mentors from United Architects of the Philippines chapters and the National Committee on Architecture and the Allied Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Seven designs were presented to more than 300 people at the PAAAF 2025 Grand Festival Day on September 26.
UC’s Campus Management Office also supported the City Government of Baguio’s BINGO Scorecard Eskwela Challenge of the City Environment and Parks Management Office, providing research inputs, data validation and technical support for climate and clean-energy planning.
Innovation, Digital and Hazard-Resilience Policy Ecosystems
August 28–29, 2025. UC CITCS students won four of six major awards at AI-DEAS for Impact 2025–Cordillera Leg, organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology–CAR (DICT-CAR) and the ICT Industry Development Bureau, with AI solutions for health care and tourism.
November 5–6, 2025. At SALIKSYNC, the first National IMPACT Conference organized by DOST-PCIEERD in Bacolod City, UC took part in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for IMPACT NXT, which aims to build stronger technology transfer offices.
November 7–8, 2025. UC was among 59 universities in the Renewal of Commitment of HEIRIT technology business incubators at the 9th National TBI Summit, where DOST leaders discussed programs such as ReSEED, which links universities to government offices.
November 14, 2025. UC hosted the 1st DIGIHAZ Networking Event, a forum on digital solutions for natural hazard resilience with government leaders, including the OCD-CAR Regional Director, academics, industry and community stakeholders. A proposed Memorandum of Understanding was presented and a Memorandum of Commitment was signed (Indicator 16.2.4).
November 21 and 24, 2025. The Computer Engineering OJT coordinator visited internship partners, including DICT-CAR, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau–CAR, DOST-CAR and the Baguio City Hall’s Management Information and Technology Division, to gather feedback on student competencies and strengthen the internship program through adaptive management.
SDG Alignment
| SDG | Indicator or target | How UC’s 2025 initiatives align |
| 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | 16.2.4, 16.2.6 | DIGIHAZ multi-stakeholder commitments and the evidence-based policy seminar strengthened institutional dialogue. WeBOCES and Pamahalahack supported accountable, data-driven public institutions. |
| 5 – Gender Equality; 4 – Quality Education | 5.1, 4.7 | The CHED-PCW training equipped faculty to apply gender-responsive assessment. |
| 6, 13, 15 – Water, Climate, Life on Land | Watershed management | Project DANUM and the Bued River studies gave LGUs and agencies maps and models for water and land-use planning. |
| 17 – Partnerships for the Goals | 17.17 | Agreements and joint programs with DILG-CAR, PRO-CAR, DOST, DICT, NCIP-CAR, CHED, PCW and NGOs advanced multi-stakeholder partnerships. |
References:
CITCS Faculty and Students Drive Governance Innovation at Pamahalahack 2025 – CITCS @UC. (2025, October 31). https://citcs.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/10/31/citcs-faculty-and-students-drive-governance-innovation-at-pamahalahack-2025/
Engineering OJT Coordinator conducts industry partner visits in support of SDG-Aligned Internship Engagement – COE @UC. (2025, November 25). https://coe.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/11/25/engineering-ojt-coordinator-conducts-industry-partner-visits-in-support-of-sdg-aligned-internship-engagement/
Nursing Leaders converge in Cordillera for 2025 Forum on Nursing Profession Updates – CONAHS @UC. (2025, July 20). https://conahs.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/07/20/nursing-leaders-converge-in-cordillera-for-2025-forum-on-nursing-profession-updates/
Rights2LIFE Members Conduct a Needs Assessment with RRCY – CCJE @UC. (2025, December 17). https://ccje.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/12/17/rights2life-members-conduct-a-needs-assessment-with-rrcy/
SALIKSYNC: UC CITCS joins the surge toward NXT Horizons in Technology Transfer – CITCS @UC. (2025, November 7). https://citcs.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/11/07/saliksync-uc-citcs-joins-the-surge-toward-nxt-horizons-in-technology-transfer/
Seminar on Research with Indigenous Peoples Organized and Participated in by the UC-CCJE – CCJE @UC. (2025, May 27). https://ccje.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/05/27/seminar-on-research-with-indigenous-peoples-organized-and-participated-in-by-the-uc-ccje/
UC and PRO-CAR Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Evidence-Based Policing Through the WeBOCES Application – CCJE @UC. (2025, November 14). https://ccje.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/11/14/uc-and-pro-car-forge-strategic-partnership-to-advance-evidence-based-policing-through-the-weboces-application/
UC-Architecture Students conceptualize RIPRAP Solution for Safer Camp 7 Elementary School – CAFA @UC. (2025, August 9). https://cafa.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/08/09/uc-architecture-students-conceptualize-riprap-solution-for-safer-camp-7-elementary-school/
UC Bued River Watershed Studies Recognized at 2025 Cordillera Regional Research Symposium – COE @UC. (2025, October 31). https://coe.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/10/31/uc-bued-river-watershed-studies-recognized-at-2025-cordillera-regional-research-symposium/
UC-CAFA Architecture Students Collaborate with KALIPI in PAAAF 2025 Community-Centered Planning and Design Workshop – CAFA @UC. (2025, October 14). https://cafa.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/10/14/uc-architecture-students-collaborate-with-kalipi-in-community-centered-planning-and-design-workshop/
UC CITCS reaffirms commitment to startup growth at the 9th National TBI Summit – CITCS @UC. (2025, November 11). https://citcs.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/11/11/uc-citcs-reaffirms-commitment-to-startup-growth-at-the-9th-national-tbi-summit/
UC CITCS Students achieve multiple wins at AI-DEAS for Impact 2025 – Cordillera Leg – CITCS @UC. (2025, September 9). https://citcs.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/09/09/uc-citcs-students-achieve-multiple-wins-at-ai-deas-for-impact-2025-cordillera-leg/
UC-CMO supports local climate and Clean-Energy policy work in Baguio City – CEA @UC. (2024, October 8). https://cea.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2024/10/08/uc-cmo-supports-local-climate-and-clean-energy-policy-work-in-baguio-city/
UC CONAHS faculty attend CHED-PCW Training of Trainers on Gender-Responsive Assessment Tools in Higher Education – CONAHS @UC. (2025, November 9). https://conahs.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/11/09/uc-conahs-faculty-attend-ched-pcw-training-of-trainers-on-gender-responsive-assessment-tools-in-higher-education/
UC hosts first DIGIHAZ Forum to Boost Digital Innovation in Hazard Preparedness – CCJE @UC. (2025, November 16). https://ccje.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/11/16/uc-hosts-first-digihaz-forum-to-boost-digital-innovation-in-hazard-preparedness/
UC’s Project DANUM Joins Northern Luzon Finalists at ClusteRICE 2025 – COE @UC. (2025, October 16). https://coe.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/10/16/ucs-project-danum-joins-northern-luzon-finalists-at-clusterice-2025/
UC promotes academic freedom in teaching through Evidence-Based Policy-Making Seminar-Workshop – CCJE @UC. (2025, October 24). https://ccje.uc-bcf.edu.ph/2025/10/24/uc-promotes-academic-freedom-in-teaching-through-evidence-based-policy-making-seminar-workshop/
