by Jessie Jay Arendain
Senator Joel “TESDA Man” Villanueva visited Bohol Island State University Main Campus (BISU MC) for a consultation meeting with the different stakeholders of the said institution on Nov. 3, 2021 at the campus’ Activity Center.
The event was attended by different university and government officials, employees and students either through in-person and online. The event aims to highlight the different achievements the university has accomplished for the past years, together with the help of the legislator, who also serves in the school’s Board of Regents (BOR), its highest administrative body.
The senator is represented in its meetings by Jojo Digao.
For her opening words on the program, BISU System President Regucivilla A. Pobar revealed the various programs and projects the university had carried out with the assistance of Villanueva.
Moreover, Pobar offered updates on its pursuit to offer the Doctor of Medicine course and featured plans on turning BISU into a “smart campus”.
For his remarks, 1st District Representative Edgar Chatto emphasized Villanueva’s role in the passing of the BISU Act, in which the senator co-authored with Chatto.
Meanwhile, 3rd District Representative Kristine Alexie Tutor thanked the senator for the assistance he had given to the third district of Bohol and requested for more Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-related programs and courses for other BISU campuses.
In his message, Villanueva highlighted the different laws he helped pass that contributed to the continuing development of education in the country, like the “Doctor Para sa Bayan” Law and the Free Higher Education Act. He also touched on the subject of revising the curriculum and licensure examinations to further improve the quality of education in the Philippines.
The senator lamented that due to the current system of instruction in the country, the nation continues to lag in international education benchmarks and is getting failing marks out of it.
On the other hand, Villanueva thanked Boholanos for supporting him during the 2016 elections when he garnered the second highest votes among the senatorial candidates in the province.
In conclusion, Villanueva reminded everyone on the importance of being involved and being committed in everything people do in their daily lives, especially now that the country is currently facing a pandemic.