“We invited you here because we saw the outcomes, we measured the outcomes, and you went beyond what is expected of you.”
With these words, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Director Dr. Raul C. Alvarez Jr. opened the 4th CHED Regional Quality Awards held May 29, 2025, where Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) received nine major accolades.
The event, held at the Rose Memorial Auditorium in Jaro, Iloilo City, was part of CHED’s 31st founding anniversary and the 5th Higher Education Day celebration, with the theme “Higher Heights in Higher Education.”
The ceremony gathered leaders and representatives from public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) across Western Visayas to celebrate academic integrity, community service and global competitiveness.
ISUFST was honored with the following awards:
- Outstanding Board Performance Award (Category #5) for achieving an 80% passing rate in the October 2024 Licensure Examination for Fisheries Professionals;
- 100% Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) for undergraduate and graduate programs;
- Awards for excellence in community extension and linkages, internationalization initiatives, peace education, Indigenous Peoples education and student affairs and services;
- Recognition for support to CHEDRO VI endeavors;
- Model Implementer for Student Financial Assistance Programs (STUFAP/CSP) for ISUFST Dingle Campus.
“These recognitions are more than awards; they affirm the culture of excellence, compassion and commitment we uphold every day,” said University President Dr. Nordy Siason Jr.
“We dedicate these to our learners, our frontliners in education and the communities we serve.”
Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Joan Belga said the awards reflect not just institutional compliance but purpose.
“At ISUFST, we live by values beyond metrics—quality that uplifts, inclusivity that embraces and impact that transforms,” she said.
“This is the rhythm of collaboration—students, faculty, staff and partners working as one to build a university that listens, evolves and serves with sincerity.”
Vice President for Administration and Finance Dr. Johnny B. Dolor echoed the sentiment.
“Behind these honors are real people doing honest work every day—balancing budgets, mentoring students, supporting systems,” he said.
“Every role matters.”
In his keynote address, Dr. Alvarez said the awards symbolize CHED VI’s commitment to recognizing not only compliance but also results, leadership and character.
He emphasized three pillars of his leadership: doing things on time, ensuring 100% compliance and delivering shared outcomes.
“This awarding ceremony is the affirmation of those objectives—this is excellence in motion,” he said.
He also cited 38 partner institutions, including ISUFST, West Visayas State University and Northern Iloilo State University, for their critical support in CHED VI’s operations and development efforts.
He said Western Visayas is raising the bar and may soon require all college faculty to hold doctoral degrees within five years to meet global standards.
Alvarez said the awards prove what’s possible when institutions collaborate, noting that all 102 private and public HEIs honored this year went above and beyond expectations.
ISUFST’s nine-award milestone follows a strong 2024 showing, when the university received five regional recognitions and officially transitioned to full university status.
That same year, it was named a Model Implementer for the SIKAP scholarship program and received distinctions for Indigenous Peoples education and internationalization.
Founded in 1957, ISUFST is the country’s first and only fisheries university.
It operates five campuses in Iloilo and serves 8,500 students with a faculty of 280, half of whom hold doctoral degrees.
The university has earned ISO 9001:2015 certification, sustained its recognition as a Center of Development in Fisheries for eight consecutive years and consistently maintained AACCUP accreditation.
“These awards do not mark the finish line,” Belga said.
“They inspire us to go further—not for prestige, but for the promise we make to every student, every family and every community that we are here to serve.” (Herman Lagon / PAMMCO)
