Dr. Al Gerald Barde, Education Supervisor and Focal for Culture and Arts of the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office I (CHED ROI), attended the Joint Tourism Council and Local Culture and Arts Council meeting at the San Fernando City (SFC) Hall on January 27, 2025.
On behalf of City Mayor Hermenegildo “Dong” Gualberto, Councilor Mark Anthony Ducusin presided over the meeting.
Discussions focused on strategic initiatives to enhance the city’s tourism and cultural programs, reports on council accomplishments and ongoing projects under the 2025 Tourism and Cultural Agenda, and collaborative activities within the CREATE Your San Fernando Elyu Framework.
City officials reaffirmed their commitment to integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into tourism, culture, and arts initiatives.
Moreover, the C.R.E.A.T.E. Your San Fernando ELYU UNSDG Innovation Center, launched on October 11, 2024, is set to intensify its efforts in supporting creative industries and local artists.
Dr. Barde expressed CHED ROI’s support to the city’s goal of becoming a UNESCO Creative City for Media Arts as he emphasized the agency’s advocacy for internationalization in higher education institutions (HEIs) through global citizenship education and SDG integration.
He also proposed collaborations with HEIs in the city to explore the potential offering of academic programs aligned with creative industries, such as Bachelor of Multimedia Arts, Bachelor of Culture and Arts Education, and Bachelor of Fine Arts.
“The HEIs in the city currently do not offer courses directly related to culture and arts. You may use your data to assess the need for these programs and initiate discussions with them. The city can also support HEIs by providing talents and sharing facilities,” Dr. Barde said.
To further promote educational tourism, he also suggested including HEIs in the city’s tour itineraries, citing that some institutions hold the status of Centers of Development and Excellence and are internationally ranked or rated.
𝘣𝘺 𝘈.𝘎. 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦

As part of its quality assurance mandate, the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office I (CHED ROI) technical team, led by Dr. Danilo Bose, Chief Education Program Specialist, conducted an assessment Ilocos Sur Community College’s (ISCC) compliance with Institutional Recognition (IR) requirements and the alignment of its academic programs with CHED policies and standards in Bantay, Ilocos Sur on January 16, 2025.
Joining Dr. Bose, Dr. Al Gerald Barde, Education Supervisor and Focal Person for Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), examined key IR aspects such as ISCC’s mandate and purpose, governance structure, facility adequacy, and operational sustainability, in accordance with CHED Memorandum Order No. 18, s. 2022.
For the HEI’s program offerings, the following CHED ROI supervisors conducted the assessment: Dr. Ricky Cera for BS in Agribusiness Management and BS in Cooperative Management programs; Mr. Arnold Ancheta for BS in Hospitality Management program; Mr. Albert Subang for BS in Information Technology program; and Dr. Maria Carmela Domocmat for the BS in Midwifery program.
Dr. Bose underscored the importance of complying with IR requirements to ensure ISCC’s continued eligibility for free higher education benefits under Republic Act No. 10931.
During the exit conference, Dr. Bose and Dr. Barde presented a detailed discussion of the findings based on the evaluation tool developed by the Office of Institutional Quality Assurance and Governance (OIQAG).
They also engaged with Mr. Amador Rojo, ISCC Officer-in-Charge, and other HEI officials in exploring strategies to address identified concerns.
Furthermore, the education supervisors also shared their program assessment results, highlighting areas for improvement and recommending measures to enhance institutional effectiveness while sustaining best practices.
𝘣𝘺 𝘈.𝘎. 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦