PADYAK Goes to Mabalacat City College!

“Winning with courage and dignity. We face our future with integrity.”

Never before did those words reverberate as loud and as extensive as they did today. MCC’s resolve to serve the students and the community with integrity, which never wavered despite the pandemic, garnered recognition from respected institutions both locally and internationally.

The guest of honor, the Commission on Higher Education Chairperson, Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” De Vera III, DPA, was gladly welcomed by the whole community.

The program was opened by the Honorable Mayor Crisostomo C. Garbo of Mabalacat City, who also serves as Chairperson of MCC, with his welcome remarks. "Education remains one of the top priorities of the administration. We have been steadfast in supporting the educational sector, especially in addressing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.", he said.

He also expressed his support to the City College Administration, led by Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong, DPA, on translating the mission and vision into reality.

"The College has established DigiHubs that are being used for online COVID-19 vaccination registration", Hon. Garbo added.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) gave recognition to MCC’s Project DigiHub video entry which was selected (out of 157 video entries) to be part of “SEAMEO Pre-Congress Lecture Series 2021, Stories of Success: Transformation and Innovation for Schools and Communities”. Said video was presented and broadcasted via SEAMEO’s official YouTube channel. MCC’s Project DigiHub was recognized for being one of the pioneer programs in the region where it helped eliminate the digital divide felt by the majority of students during this pandemic. Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat, Bangkok, Thailand, shared her virtual congratulatory message to Mabalacat City College. The Certificate of Recognition was given by Atty. Ryan L. Estevez, Executive Director of CHED-UniFAST.

The Commission in Higher Education – Regional Office III (CHED-RO III), subsequently awarded MCC with a Plaque of Recognition for being the Top Performing Higher Education Institution among Local Universities and Colleges. Said recognition was given for the school’s proactive action - for being able to rise above the challenges of the pandemic and for being able to proceed with its Extension Activities which have a significant and positive impact on the lives of the people in the community. The Plaque of Recognition was given by Dr. Maria Teresita M. Semana, CESO IV, OIC-Director, CHED Region III.

The event also highlighted MCC Internationalization Initiatives such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) on Introduction to Linguistics with the University of Ryukyus Japan, Langara Community College of Canada, International Virtual Summer Program (University of Nottingham Malaysia), and Exploration Meeting between Lone Star College (Texas, USA) and the MCC.

Atty. Ryan L. Estevez, Executive Director of CHED-UniFAST, acknowledged MCC’s feat of being the only Higher Education Institution from the Philippines to be shortlisted in two categories of awards by the Times Higher Education Awards Asia - a major international platform that recognizes outstanding leadership and institutional performance and celebrates the continent's higher education excellence. Such categories are Outstanding Support for Students and Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year. The awarding ceremonies of which will be on December 14/15, 2021.

College President Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong proudly presented the awards received by the College. She acknowledged the team behind its success. "Their hard work really paid off. Dr. Popoy, we dedicate these awards to you, you inspired us to do more and give more to our community”, Dr. Aguilar-Ong added.

Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” De Vera III, DPA, gave his congratulatory message and said that, "I would like to commend MCC for their efforts and dedication in achieving these awards. Providing Quality Education is not an expense but an investment in the future."

The MCC Management assured that MCC will continue to serve the community through quality education and innovations.