University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi
The Premier Dominican University of Bicol
The Premier Dominican University of Bicol
The University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi hosted the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) Administrators’ Colloquy on August 12–13, 2025, at the Daragang Magayon Hall. The two-day event brought together representatives from Catholic educational associations across the Bicol region to engage in meaningful discussions and exchange fresh ideas and insights.
The first day of the event was opened by the Rector and President of the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi, Rev. Fr. Edwin A. Lao, OP, MM, DBA, who set the tone and highlighted unity and created a shared purpose as administrators with the same goal.
“When we work tirelessly to support our respective institutions, we rarely have the chance to come together, share our experiences and best practices—even our problems and woes,” Fr. Lao said. “Today, we are not just colleagues; we are cooperators and collaborators.”
He emphasized that the colloquy was not just an exercise for professional development, but to strengthen the administrative community, foster deeper connections, and discuss complex issues and challenges that they face together as Catholic institutions.
Afterwards, the Catholic Education Associations within the Bicol Region were recognized, consisting of administrators from Caceres and Libmanan (CEACAL), Legazpi (CEAL), Virac (CEAV), Daet (CEAD), Masbate (MACEA), and Sorsogon (CEAS).
The highlight of the first day of the colloquy was the Talk on Continuing the Advocacy for Private Education, led by Ms. Rhodora Angela F. Ferrer, PhD, an advocate for quality education and equality between private and public schools in the Philippines.
She began her talk on her personal experiences during the EDCOM 2, wherein she was able to discuss with policy makers in the private education sector. She brought to light the 28 priority areas which included Early Childhood Care and Development, Basic Education, Higher Education, and more, focusing on the need for policy reforms and ensuring there is equity between private and public education sectors.
Ms. Ferrer raised various pressing issues such as the problem of maintaining a controllable class size in public schools that reach up to 60 students, the alarming 5.5 learning gap, and the difference in quality education between private and public schools. She stressed the reason for high dropout rates in higher education, rooted in the deficiencies in the foundation of basic education, mainly the transition of learners from grade 3 to 4.
“I want to shift the argument to quality education and student choice,” she said. She furthered the discussion by stating the importance of private education institutions in contributing to quality education, such as accommodation of the right class size, teachers that teach, fulfilling all 200 days of classes, complete in learning materials such as laboratories and books, and many more essential parts of a University to encourage learning for students. An open forum was held afterwards for others to discuss and share personal insights, opening the floor for a healthy discussion amongst administrators.
In the afternoon, the colloquy was held to discuss what has been discussed throughout the first day, allowing each other to reflect and learn from each others’ insights and personal experiences. In the essence of the Bicol Association of Catholic Schools, the first day was concluded with a mass, allowing for there to be a spiritual conclusion to the first day of the event.
The second day of the event started early with a morning mass at the cathedral and afterwards, they proceeded to the Daragang Magayon Hall to continue the colloquy.
The quality officer of the University from the Office of Planning and Development, Angelica R. Sajuela, LPT, was called to the benchmarking of the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi, who delved into a quick background behind the process of being ISO certified and took pride into being part of helping the University being the first University in the Bicol region to hold a Quality Educational Organization Management System certified in both ISO 21001:2018 and ISO 9001:2015.
She discussed the long and arduous process to this profound achievement, highlighting the institution’s achievement of having an integrated management system, also known as the IMS. When discussing the proceedings they took up for this, she delved into the general features of the system, best practices, and challenges throughout it. Ms. Sajuela emphasized that the ISO certification was never the goal, but a means in achieving the University’s vision, ensuring consistent excellence in academics and education.
Through open dialogue, collaborative effort, and a shared advocacy, the BACS Administrators’ Colloquy of 2025 concluded, reminding the participants of the collective mission of Catholic schools in Bicol, to create not only an academically competent institution for students, but also develop these young minds into contributing members of society.
Written by:
Alicia Bertha Gatchalian
2nd Year, BA Communication