Mindoro, Philippines — February 2025. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) MIMAROPA has successfully expanded its flagship MIMAROPA: INSIGHTS program to Mindoro, empowering educators and researchers to elevate their research and publication capacities through mentorship, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
The three-day program was hosted by Mindoro State University (MinSU) under its Sulong Dunong 2025 initiative and co-organized with Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC) through its Futures of SALT: Strengthening Academic Leadership and Transformation through Research Publication program. It builds on the success of the inaugural INSIGHTS session conducted in El Nido, Palawan in November 2024, hosted by Palawan State University.
At its core, INSIGHTS is about collaboration across institutions and regions. For the Mindoro sessions, CHED MIMAROPA partnered not only with MinSU and OMSC, and also brought in researchers from the Cordillera region to serve as expert mentors.
By linking local HEI programs with national and inter-regional networks, INSIGHTS underscores CHED’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals and SDG 4: Quality Education.
The Mindoro sessions featured renowned academics and thought leaders, who combined theoretical expertise with practical mentoring strategies:
Dr. Erlinda C. Palaganas
Global leader in nursing and qualitative research, recognized for advancing health equity and mentorship.
Dr. Thelma Domingo Palaoag
Specialist in artificial intelligence and data analytics, fostering innovation and knowledge dissemination.
Dr. Mark Preston S. Lopez
Fulbright scholar with expertise in multilingual education and culturally responsive teaching.
Dr. Jun S. Camara
Experienced academic leader and researcher specializing in science education, qualitative research, and curriculum development.
Sessions covered Research and Publication: A Rigorous Journey, the ANGLE Writing Framework, Ethical Research: Navigating the Moral Compass, Transforming Theses into Publishable Articles, Digital Toolkits and AI for Research, and Dissecting a Scopus-Indexed Journal Article.
A highlight of the program was the presentation of 65 research manuscripts by participants, who received direct mentorship and tailored feedback from the experts.
In addition, the Mindoro sessions produced concrete outcomes with faculty and researchers gaining competencies in research writing, ethical standards, and digital tools. A regional mentoring ecosystem was established, ensuring sustained collaboration and peer learning. Strengthened institutional collaboration between MinSU, OMSC, and CHED MIMAROPA. Contributed to the international visibility of Filipino research, aligning regional initiatives with global scholarship.
An evaluation conducted after the event confirmed its strong output with 4.87 overall rating (Very High) for the program and 4.0 average rating for resource speakers on clarity, expertise, and professionalism. Participants cited positive mentor interaction, quality content, and relevance of sessions as major strengths. Areas for improvement included event logistics such as punctuality (3.63 for starting on time; 3.73 for ending on time) and session facilitation (3.82–3.87). Participants also suggested increasing interactive elements to enhance engagement.
CHED MIMAROPA and its partners envision INSIGHTS as a continuing platform. By combining the expertise of mentors, the enthusiasm of participants, and the power of institutional partnerships, INSIGHTS stands as a model initiative aligned with SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals and SDG 4: Quality Education.
With successful editions in Palawan and Mindoro, INSIGHTS is poised to expand further in the region, ensuring that Filipino researchers and educators continue to grow, publish, and contribute to a more globally connected academic community.
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