President's Notes | AbanTeknolohiya

Greetings of peace and solidarity to everyone. To the VSU Key Officials–the five Vice Presidents; our keynote speaker who will be formally introduced a little later, the Regional Director of DOST Regional Office VIII, Dr. John Glenn G. Ocaña, other distinguished guests and visitors: Mr. Adrian H. Sablan, Chief for IP Management and Technology Transfer Division of IPOPHL; Mr. Glenn B. Quiro, Technology Advocate from Apl.de.Ap Foundation International; Mr. Noel A. Catibog, Director for Technology Transfer and Promotion Division from DOST-PCAARRD; Dr. Huaihan Cai, Vice President for International Business DEvelopment from Overseas Pharmaceuticals Limited, Guangzhou, China; Mr. Henry Y. Gosyco, President of PCCI Tacloban; Engr. Meilou C. Macabre, Provincial Director of DTI Samar.

Other partners from industries, colleagues from the academe, representatives from government agencies, students, if there are any,  to the men and women who made this event possible, and to the rest of you joining, please accept my warmest Wednesday morning to all of you!

For those who are visiting us for the first time, you will notice that VSU is not your typical university setting. You do not immediately see clusters of high-rise buildings. Instead, you walk through open spaces, tree-lined roads, and a campus where the sea breeze meets the foothills of Mount Pangasugan. We fondly identify VSU as the “very scenic university.” It is a place that slows you down just enough to think, but at the same time, it reminds you that the work we do here is closely tied to land, water, and people.

This setting matters because the kind of conversations we are about to have are not detached from reality. They are grounded in agriculture, in communities, in industries trying to adapt, and in institutions trying to keep pace with change.

Today, we formally open AbanTeknolohiya 3.0, our 2nd Regional Industry-Academe Fireside Chat and Technology Pitching. This activity also forms part of the celebration of VSU’s 102nd Founding Anniversary, where we continue to look at how the University remains responsive to the demands of the present while preparing for what lies ahead.

Anchored on this year’s theme, “Empowering Tomorrow: Innovations, Technologies, and Collaborative Solutions,” this event brings us to a very direct question—how do we move ideas forward in a way that actually works beyond discussion?

What we are doing here is simple in idea, but complex in practice. We are trying to bring different worlds into one room. We have researchers who spend years refining a concept. We have industry partners who ask whether that concept can actually work outside the laboratories. We have government agencies that look at scale, policy, and public benefit.

And somewhere in between, there is always a gap. That gap is where many good ideas stop, and that is exactly why this platform exists.

Over the next two days, we will talk about intellectual property, commercialization, emerging technology ecosystems, and how innovations move from early development to market adoption. We will also hear from practitioners who deal with these realities every day, not in theory, but in actual operations, investments, and decision-making.

But beyond the sessions, what I hope happens here are honest conversations and not polished presentations alone. We hope for real exchanges and real questions that challenge assumptions. We hope for discussions that open new directions, and moments where someone says, “We can actually try this.”

Because if there is one thing we are learning globally, it is that progress is no longer linear. It is unpredictable, sometimes uneven, and often shaped by forces outside our control, whether it is shifting markets, technological disruptions, or environmental pressures.

And yet, despite all these, work continues. Industries continue to adapt. Researchers continue to test ideas. Institutions continue to rethink how they operate.

Here in VSU, we try to position ourselves within that reality. We do not claim to have all the answers. But we take seriously the role of a university in making knowledge usable—something that can be applied, questioned, improved, and, when necessary, corrected. That is why this gathering matters not because it completes something, but because it starts conversations that should continue long after this event.

To our partners from industry, thank you for bringing in perspectives that keep us grounded.

To our colleagues from the government, fellow public servants, thank you for providing direction and support mechanisms that make initiatives like this possible. To our faculty, staff, and student innovators, thank you for putting forward ideas that are ready to be tested in the real world. And to everyone here today, your presence means you are part of this ongoing work.

As we begin, I encourage you to take this space seriously. Speak openly. Ask direct questions. Listen carefully. Sometimes, the most useful ideas come from conversations that were not part of the program.

Let me end with a line from Maria Ressa, who once said: “Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust.”

In a time when information moves fast and decisions carry real consequences, that reminder stays relevant.

With that, good morning once again, and welcome to VSU! Welcome to  AbanTeknolohiya 3.0! Mabuhay and God bless! 

This speech is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG No. 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; SDG No. 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; SDG No. 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; and SDG No. 17: Partnerships for the Goals.  

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