Rene Estremera | 30 January 2026
Amuma, a Visayan (Cebuano) word meaning to nurture, care for, tend, foster, or cherish, serves as UP Mindanao’s guiding ethos for the Leadership Program on Education for Regenerative Futures.
UP Mindanao unit heads participated in the program, held in partnership with UP CIFAL from 27 to 29 January 2026 at the CARIM Building. The sessions were facilitated by Assoc. Prof. Jackie Lou Tagubase, Project Development Assistant for Leadership.
In her opening remarks, Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao emphasized the transformative role of education:
“Education is not just a passive observation of the world; it is an intervention. We do not wait for the future to happen—we build it.”
International experts contributed insights, analyses, and pathways on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Dr. Shepherd Urenje adopted Amuma as a central theme in his online lecture on Global Complexity and the Changing Role of Higher Education, underscoring that “the University is a living system” and that Amuma captures the core purpose of higher education institutions.
From Australia, Dr. Penny Jane Burke of the University of Newcastle led an online workshop on Equity, Inclusion, and Global Citizenship. Mr. Jun Roy and Ms. Jacqueline Luy provided leadership coaching for regenerative futures, while UP CIFAL Executive Director Michelle Palumbarit discussed the Whole-of-Institution Approach (WIA) to transformative education. Dr. John Paul Yusiong shared UP Tacloban’s experiences in Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies.
Succeeding sessions focused on strategic planning workshops covering the WIA sustainability framework, multi-stakeholder awareness campaigns, SDG impact evaluation, and campus-based regenerative interventions, among others.
The program culminated in performance management workshops on planning, coaching, evaluation, and integration, facilitated by consultant Perfecto Cagaanan Jr.
The Leadership Program on Education for Regenerative Futures is a vital component of the implementation of the University Strategic Plan for the second term of Chancellor Murao, reinforcing UP Mindanao’s commitment to nurturing leadership that actively shapes a regenerative and inclusive future.
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