SEARCA in the News

A BOOK on Philippine economic development titled Pro-poor Development Policies: Lessons from the Philippines and East Asia has been released in honor of Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. Director Glenn Gregorio of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research (SEARCA) said the book was presented to Balisacan during a surprise gathering of colleagues, friends, and family in celebration of his 65th birthday on Nov. 8, 2022, and officially launched at the Philippine Economic Society (PES) 60th Annual Meeting and Conference on Nov. 9, 2022, in Quezon City. Gregorio said the 750-page book which is a Festschrift… Read more

A book on Philippine economic development has been released in honor of Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. Titled “Pro-poor Development Policies: Lessons from the Philippines and East Asia,” the book was presented to Balisacan on 8 November 2022 and officially launched at the Philippine Economic Society (PES) 60th Annual Meeting and Conference on 9 November 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. A co-publication of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Singapore-based ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, the 750-page book is a Festschrift—that is, a collection of writings published in honor of… Read more

A Philippines-hosted inter-government treaty organization headquartered on the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños and a university based in Timor-Leste have institutionalized their mutual cooperation to collaborate in areas of common interest such as education, training and research. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Universidade da Paz (UNPAZ) also agreed to collaborate in undertaking programs, projects and other related activities, exchange scientific materials, publications and information. UNPAZ is a private university that was established in March 2004 by Neon Metin Foundation (NMF) with principal offices in Dili, Timor-Leste… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with the Regalo ng Kilit Foundation Inc. convened the First International Conference on School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE1) in Coron, Palawan on 8-12 November 2022. The conference theme is “Restoring Biodiversity, Regenerating Agriculture and Building Businesses”. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said the international conference was organized by SEARCA and Regalo ng Kilit Foundation Inc. as a shared commitment to achieving food and nutrition security, promoting sustainable agriculture, and restoring biodiversity or “BioAgversity.” “More than 70 participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with the Regalo ng Kilit Foundation Inc. (RKFI) held a five-day First International Conference on School plus Home Garden cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE1) in Coron, Palawan on Tuesday, November 8. Anchored on the theme "Restoring Biodiversity, Regenerating Agriculture and Building Businesses," the international conference which will end on Saturday, November 12, is for SEARCA and RKFI to share the commitment to achieving food and nutrition security, promoting sustainable agriculture, and restoring biodiversity or "BioAgversity." Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said more than 70 participants… Read more

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has tapped the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to evaluate its Program on Accelerating Farm School Establishment (PAFSE). Implemented nationwide by TESDA in close coordination with the Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Training Institute (DA-ATI) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), PAFSE encourages farmers and other private individuals to set up farm schools across the country. TESDA said the program also provides skills training, retooling, reskilling and upgrading of the labor force in the agri-fishery sector and has supported the establishment and improvement of at least… Read more

The Philippines, through the International School for Sustainable Tourism (ISST), is set to host the International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM 2023), the world’s first ecotourism-themed expo. ISST has recently sealed its partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) for the ecotourism fair, which will be held on March 29 to April 2, 2023 in Silang, Cavite. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said “SEARCA and ISST share the common objective of promoting ecotourism to encourage economic productivity and income.” Organized by the Japan-based Asian Environmental… Read more

Listed firm D&L Industries and its foundation have sought a possible project collaboration with the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for future agricultural project undertakings. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said SEARCA's possible collaborations with D&L Industries and Lao Foundation Inc. (LFI) include undertakings on the coconut industry project in Quezon Province; the Technology Adoption for People-centered Innovation and Livelihood Integration project in Legazpi, Albay; and short-term capacity-building offerings of the center. D&L Industries is a Filipino company engaged in the manufacturing of customized food ingredients, specialty raw materials for plastics, and… Read more

The Philippines will take global environmental stage once more as it hosts the International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM), the world’s first-ever and biggest ecotourism-themed expo from March 29 to April 2, 2023 in Silang, Cavite. In line with the event, the International School for Sustainable Tourism (ISST), the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recently forged a memorandum of understanding for the hosting of the said expo. According to ISST President Mina Gabor, the five-day fair will share best practices on ecotourism from global experts and provide networking avenues with ecotourism… Read more

DELEGATES from higher educational institutions in the Philippines won multiple awards in the International Summer Course Program (ISCP) held recently in Indonesia. They were faculty members from the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and Marinduque State College (MSC) who participated in the ISCP for Agriculture and Ecosystem Resilience to Environmental Disaster toward Regional Sustainability. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said the event was jointly organized by Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University and Ibaraki University from Sept. 11 to 20, 2022 in Bogor, Indonesia. The International… Read more