Engr. John Christan L. Gaviola, Director of the Visayas State University Regional Climate Change Research and Development Center (VSU RCCRDC) and a faculty member of the Department of Civil Engineering, recently returned from a Specialization Certificate in the Assessment and Management of Geological and Climate-related Risk, a postgraduate specialization program offered by the University of Geneva in Switzerland that ran from April 27 to July 17, 2026.

For generations, rivers have fed families, supplied farms, supported local fisheries, and served as lifelines for communities. Yet many of the country's freshwater ecosystems continue to face pressure from human activities such as mining, agriculture, urban development, and changes in land use.

To our ever dynamic and visionary University President, Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes; Chancellor Bon Anthony Costillas of VSU Villaba Campus; equally respected Vice Presidents, Deans of Colleges, and other university heads, to the proud parents, and of course, our dear graduates, a pleasant afternoon!