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Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU), through its Office of Extension Services, reviewed 39 extension proposals addressing disaster resilience, eco-tourism, livelihood, education, and health during its In-House Review 2026, held on November 10 and 11 at the RIEEA Smart Hub Conference Room on the Main Campus. Proponents from seven colleges and the Graduate School presented their proposals before a panel of evaluators composed of Engr. Deodatus G. Sagadal of the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), Dr. Jose Marlon J. Refuncion Jr. of Samar State University (SSU), Dr. Ervin Rodriguez, Director of the NwSSU Innovation Office, and Ms. Toni Charm B. Calag, Director of NwSSU’s Gender and Development Services. Nineteen proposals were presented on the first day and 20 on the second. Many of the proposed projects respond to challenges already faced by Samar communities. These include rainwater harvesting systems for water-scarce barangays, renewable energy solutions for disaster preparedness, and women-led island resilience initiatives. Others focus on livelihood and agriculture, including farmer training on managing toxic elements in mine-impacted farmland in Taft, Eastern Samar, and the establishment of a sustainable agriculture cooperative in Barangay Bayo. Eco-tourism and environmental protection also figured prominently in the proposals. Among these were initiatives to expand source-to-sea eco-tourism in unserved and underserved communities, train boat operators in Paranas on financial management, and establish a no-plastic policy for pilgrims visiting Calvary Hill in Santa Margarita. Education and health-related proposals included reading support initiatives, and teacher licensure examination review programs, such as the SAGIP-KABATAAN: Capacity Building on Comprehensive Sexual Health Education, Peer Counselling, and Local Referral Network Linkages for Youth Leaders, proposed by the College of Nursing. The initiative seeks to equip youth leaders with knowledge and skills in sexual health education, peer support, and referral mechanisms, strengthening access to appropriate guidance and services for young people. Through the In-House Review, NwSSU ensures that its extension initiatives are grounded in sound project plans and responsive to the needs of their intended beneficiaries. The process reinforces the University’s commitment to delivering purposeful, relevant, and community-centered programs across Samar’s barangays, farms, and schools.

Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) has formally joined the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Region VIII Planner’s Network through a three-year partnership aimed at strengthening local land use planning and promoting sustainable, resilient, and futures-informed communities. The partnership was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 29, 2026, during the 2026 Eastern Visayas Zoning Conference held in Palo, Leyte. Under the agreement, NwSSU will provide technical assistance to Local Government Units (LGUs) in the preparation of Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and Zoning Ordinances. The collaboration will also cover training and capacity-building initiatives, research development, policy dialogue, and the formulation of plans and projects that support sustainable community development. Through this partnership, NwSSU will contribute its academic expertise, research capabilities, and strategic foresight initiatives to help local governments strengthen their planning processes and transition from risk-informed to futures-informed land use planning. The collaboration highlights the University’s commitment to extending its knowledge and resources beyond the academe, supporting local institutions in anticipating future challenges and developing responsive, inclusive, and resilient communities. With this three-year partnership, NwSSU reinforces its role as an active partner in regional development, advancing forward-looking planning approaches that help shape a more sustainable future for communities across Eastern Visayas.

Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) and the City Government of Calbayog conducted a foresight and tabletop workshop on El Niño–La Niña preparedness on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at the NwSSU Main Campus. The workshop comes as Samar is among the provinces PAGASA has placed under drought, with the current very strong El Niño expected to linger into 2027 and a La Niña possibly following. All four states of calamity Calbayog has declared since 2022 were for floods, which organizers said makes the shift from too little water to too much the city’s biggest blind spot. Participants from multisectoral agencies and civil society worked in five sector tables, each guided by NwSSU facilitators. The tables covered water; food and agriculture; health, education and social welfare; emergency response and public safety; and governance, budget and coordination. The day began with a “Worry Wall,” where participants posted their biggest concerns about too little and too much water. Emmanuel R. de Guia, resident futurist and consultant of the Senate Committee on SDGs, Innovation, and Futures Thinking, then gave a situation briefing on the El Niño outlook, from the global picture down to Calbayog. Participants were then guided through a Causal Layered Analysis to examine the deeper causes behind their concerns, followed by a session on four possible futures of Calbayog in 2036, which they presented through an “a day in the life in 2036” role-plays. In a backcasting session, the tables worked backward from a preferred 2036 vision to concrete first moves the city can take during the current El Niño. The highlight was the Pivot Drill, a tabletop exercise that tested the tables’ plans against fictional but realistic developments: drought at its peak, the regular dry season stacked on El Niño, and a sudden turn to La Niña flash floods and landslides. Dr. Sandro Daguman, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), played the council chair who approved or held requests for water, personnel and funds, testing the workshop’s guiding rule: “No owner, no commitment.” Lastly, each table pledged three commitments with a named lead office, deadline, and trigger. In the session, each participants signed personal 30-day commitment cards. Dr. Daguman said the next steps are to consolidate the outputs into a draft El Niño–La Niña Preparedness Plan, integrate its actions into the city’s existing plans and budgets, monitor PAGASA signals, and bring the approach to barangays and schools. In his closing message, City Councilor Marc Celino “Jormac” B. Tan thanked the facilitators and participants and said the commitments made at the tables are only the beginning. “We can do this together,” he said, adding that by acting early, working across offices and barangays, and holding one another to their promises, Calbayog can face both the drought and the floods ahead with confidence.

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar — In a decisive move to revitalize the province’s agricultural landscape, the Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) solidified its role as a key institutional partner of the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Samar during the two-day Samar Agro-Industrial Harmonization Workshop, held from October 22 to 23, 2026, at the Samar Convention Center. Led by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and the Office of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, the workshop brought together regional stakeholders, academic experts, and policymakers to streamline development efforts for Samar’s high-value agro-industries: coconut, bamboo, ube, and high-value crops (HVC) such as chili. Harmonizing a Shared Vision For years, the development of Samar’s primary agricultural commodities has occurred in silos, with agencies tackling problems independently. However, the workshop showed that the challenges facing Samar’s farmers are shared across commodities. Data consolidated during the sessions revealed six recurring gaps that hold back the provincial agro-industry. These are limited planting materials and seed stock, ranging from expensive bamboo material, scarce ube seedlings, and senile coconut trees to a lack of chili seed stock; limited farmer capacity and extension support; vulnerability to climate impacts, including typhoons, droughts, pests, and diseases; fragmented production and weak institutional coordination; a lack of shared processing, postharvest, and logistics facilities; and weak market linkages that leave farmers at the mercy of volatile trading prices. Rather than addressing these barriers commodity by commodity, the workshop successfully grouped these gaps into six strategic convergence initiatives. By anchoring interventions across specific segments of the value chains—such as clustering ube processing, upgrading chili facilities, and establishing robust marketing networks for coconut and bamboo—the PLGU and its partner agencies can now deploy targeted solutions that uplift multiple farming sectors simultaneously. NwSSU at the Helm of Facilitation and Expertise As an institution deeply committed to community transformation, NwSSU sent a powerhouse team of educators and researchers to orchestrate the event and contribute technical foresight. Mr. Redem D. Tingzon, Director of the NwSSU External Affairs Office, steered the strategic direction of the sessions as the Lead Workshop Facilitator, working hand-in-hand with Provincial Planning Officer Mr. Joel Mancol. Their collaborative moderation allowed diverse agency representatives to find common ground and synthesize complex farm-level data into actionable government policies. Lending academic and scientific weight to the workshop was Dr. Jessie Sabijon, Dean of the College of Agriculture & Forestry at the NwSSU San Jorge Campus. Serving as a Small Group Facilitator, Dr. Sabijon acted as the resident expert contributor for Ube Research & Development (R&D). His insights highlighted how academe-driven crop technology can directly mitigate the planting material scarcity that currently limits local ube growers. Assisting throughout the rigorous two-day convergence were personnel from the NwSSU Project Development Office, who served as official documenters, meticulously capturing the baseline findings that will shape Samar’s next comprehensive agro-industrial master plan. Empowering the Samarnon Farmer Samar’s smallholder farmers stand to benefit most from this partnership. By addressing systemic weaknesses like funding access and farm mechanization (gaps highlighted for bamboo, coconut, and ube), the convergence framework aims to move farmers toward more competitive agro-enterprise. When farmers are equipped with high-yield seed stocks, resilient farming practices, and shared processing facilities, their post-harvest losses drop, and their profit margins rise. Sustainable market linkages ensure that the sweat and labor poured into Samar’s soil translate into stable, premium household incomes. Shaping Samar’s Economic Future The collaboration between NwSSU and PLGU-Samar marks a shift in the province’s approach to agro-industry. By moving away from fragmented initiatives and embracing a synchronized value-chain approach, Samar positions itself as an emerging agro-industrial hub in the Eastern Visayas region. Through localized research, extension services, and policy facilitation, NwSSU continues to contribute to the province’s economic development. As this harmonized blueprint rolls out, the university and the provincial government stand united in building a resilient, food-secure, and economically vibrant Samar.

Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU), Calbayog City, and San Jorge will hold tabletop and scenario workshops this October to prepare for the El Niño–La Niña phenomenon. DOST-PAGASA has warned that the ongoing El Niño is expected to intensify into a very strong event and persist through the first half of 2027. El Niño generally brings warmer temperatures and below-normal rainfall across much of the country, increasing the risk of dry spells and drought, although heavy rainfall and flooding may still occur during tropical cyclones and other rain-bearing weather systems. The agreement came out of an October 12, 2026, coordination meeting among NwSSU’s Center for Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight (CFTSF), the University Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Council, and officials from both local government units. Representatives from the water, agriculture and fisheries, energy, and health sectors, along with barangay officials and University representatives, will take part in the tabletop exercises and scenario-planning workshops. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has placed Samar under drought since September and expects it to last through March 2027, while still anticipating three to five tropical cyclones. Calbayog has declared a state of calamity four times since 2022, all because of floods. Dr. Jonah L. Salcedo, CFTSF Director and Head of the Planning Office, said the LGUs hold the authority to declare a state of calamity, release quick response funds, and order evacuations, while NwSSU contributes data, research, and a neutral venue for planning. Resident Futurist Emmanuel R. de Guia said the greatest danger lies in the handover between drought and flood, when a city must shift from saving water to evacuating families. “Foresight is not predicting the storm. It is deciding, while it is quiet, who will do what when it comes,” he said. The workshops will use scenarios, early-warning signals, and a map of who may declare rationing, begin flood readiness, or release funds, guided by the ground rule “No owner, no commitment.” NwSSU will provide weather-station data, research, and facilitation, building on its 2023 and 2025 flood-risk agreements with Calbayog and extending them to drought and to San Jorge. Both LGUs also asked for scenario planning, community information materials, and GIS mapping and climate modeling. The schedule and venues will be announced soon. Assigning clear owners before the next weather shock will help Calbayog and San Jorge turn forecasts into timely decisions for their communities.

Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) strengthened its commitment to community resilience and disaster preparedness as it hosted the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for an orientation on the Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP) on October 6, 2026, at the University Hotel Function Room. Organized by the Center for Local Governance and the University Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Office in partnership with DSWD, the activity brought together university officials, academic representatives, extension personnel, and DRRM focal persons to explore opportunities for collaboration in disaster risk reduction, sustainable livelihoods, and community-driven development. The orientation featured discussions on the DSWD’s KALAHI-CIDSS program, disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), and Sustainable Livelihood Program. Ms. Susana F. Urmeneta, Team Leader of DSWD KALAHI-CIDSS, together with Francis C. Batula and Jinky Rose A. Merino and Maria Christina L. Manicani of DSWD, shared insights on community-driven initiatives that promote preparedness, sustainable livelihoods, and resilience among vulnerable communities. The discussions centered on the Panahon ng Pagkilos: Philippine Community Resilience Project, a national initiative designed to help communities address disaster risks, environmental challenges, and economic shocks through participatory development and locally driven solutions. The orientation also provided an avenue for university representatives to explore how NwSSU’s academic programs, research initiatives, and extension services can contribute to community-based resilience efforts. The activity concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening inter-agency collaboration and translating the insights gained into initiatives that support disaster preparedness, sustainable development, and safer, more resilient communities. Through partnerships with national agencies and local stakeholders, NwSSU continues to advance its A.S.C.E.N.D. commitment to responsive education, meaningful extension services, and inclusive community development.

Community-based and women-led organizations from four Samar municipalities gathered at the NwSSU Hotel and Restaurant on September 1 and 2, 2026, for a workshop aimed at strengthening their capacity to respond to climate and disaster-related risks. The workshop, titled “Participatory Risk and Resource Mapping, Stakeholder Analysis and Capacity Assessment for Climate Disaster Resilience and Organizational Development.” brought together community-based organizations (CBOs) and women-led organizations (WLOs) to validate and deepen earlier profiling results, identify capacity development needs across the ecosystem’s local government units, and begin shaping a capacity building program suited to their context. The workshop unfolded in stages: participatory surfacing activities on Day 1, followed by consolidation and validation through key informant interviews on Day 2 morning, and concluding with the prioritization of training needs and the co-creation of a capacity building program on Day 2 afternoon. Ms. Gina Dean facilitated several of the workshop’s key sessions on Day 1. She led the discussion on understanding CDR and the salient points of Republic Act 10121, guided participants through participatory resource mapping and hazard identification, and co-facilitated the Social Network Analysis and Stakeholder Influence and interest sessions alongside with Mr. Ian Mark Nibalvos. By the end of the day, discussions were brought together in a synthesis session, consolidating the issues, capacities, gaps, and emerging training needs that surfaced throughout the day. The activity was conducted under the Governance for Climate and Disaster Resilience (Gov-CDE) Project, a six-year, a CAD-funded initiative running from 2024 to 2030 and implemented by Alinea International in partnership with the National Resilience Council and national government agencies to strengthen climate and disaster resilience across the Philippines. Samar Province is one of the project’s priority areas, implemented locally through Alinea Philippines. On the workshop’s second day, Dr. Teody Amatosa, NwSSU Vice President for Research, Innovation and Extension, welcomed the CBOs and WLOs of Gandara, Matuguinao, San Jorge, and Pagsanghan on behalf of NwSSU President Atty. Lorelie Fabillar-Tangaran, DM, together with the Gov-CDR team of Alinea Philippines. By opening its doors to the workshop, NwSSU lent its support to an effort that reaches beyond training; one that equips local organizations with the tools to face climate and disaster-related challenges on their own terms, long after the workshop tables are cleared.

Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) has successfully finalized its Strategic Futures Workshop: Futures Thinking Towards Sustainable Development Using the ACACIA Framework on May 21, 2026, at the Business Development Center. Spearheaded by the Research, Innovation, and Extension (RIE) Division through the Center for Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight and in partnership with the Philippine Futures Thinking Society (PhilFutures), the activity gathered the entire university officials to embed anticipatory governance and innovation in its systems, culminating in the development of HANDUM 2050: The Futures of NwSSU under the theme “WE BUILD WHAT STORMS CANNOT BREAK.” Day 2 followed on May 12, 2026, continuing online with participants deepening their understanding of strategic foresight processes and engaged in collaborative visioning facilitated by PhilFutures Fellow Ms. Jalaine Joyce V. Malabanan. The activities produced refined, shared aspirations that became core building blocks for HANDUM (Hingyap, Andam, Naton, Dungog, Ungod, Marig-on) 2050, equipping the institution with a forward-looking foundation to guide its development and community impact. Held onsite on May 20, 2026, Day 3 opened with messages from Senators Pia S. Cayetano and Win T. Gatchalian, CHED Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, Dr. Tirso Ronquillo, President of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), and PhilFutures’ Dr. Michville A. Rivera. Expert sessions included Dr. Bert J. Tuga’s analysis of trends in higher education, Dr. Michville A. Rivera’s discussion on the McKinsey 7S Framework, and workshops of Prof. Ramces M. Dili from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) on reimagining the university’s VMOKRAPI and scenario planning, strengthening participants’ strategic capabilities and shared commitment. On May 21, 2026, the fourth and final day centered on presenting drafted vision and mission outputs from various units and division for the Samar community. Dr. Ruperto S. Sangalang presented the PATRES framework and the unified planning architecture linking VMOKRAPI (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Key Result Areas, and Performance Indicators), SPATRES (Strategy, Programs, Activities, Tasks, Resources, Evaluation System), and PATRES (People, Academics, Technology, Research, Extension, and Stewardship), while Mr. Ramces M. Dili critiqued outputs using the ACACIA Framework, recognizing San Jorge Campus for meeting the “Samar test.” The four-day futures workshop successfully equipped NwSSU officials with essential foresight tools, methodologies, and a cohesive strategic direction. With HANDUM 2050 as its flagship output, the university now stands positioned as a future-ready institution, fully prepared to drive sustainable development, transformative education, and responsive governance across Samar for decades to come.

Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to innovation and global impact, earning the 381st position in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) 2026: Global Top 500 Innovative Universities. This achievement builds upon the university’s exceptional performance in previous rankings, solidifying its place among worldwide institutions dedicated to forward-thinking strategies and transformative contributions. NwSSU’s consistent position in these prestigious rankings highlights its dedication to fostering an institution of innovation, pertinence, and sustainable development. WURI is a global ranking system which evaluates universities by focusing on their real-world contributions and societal impact, emphasizing innovation, resilience, and responsiveness in its academic, research, and community engagement. NwSSU’s participation and continued recognition in WURI emphasize its success in adopting innovative practices that address contemporary global challenges. Reflecting on its performance in the 2025 WURI Rankings, NwSSU previously achieved remarkable placements, including 24th globally in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Trend category. The university also secured 47th worldwide in Funding for Sustainability and 51st in Crisis Management. These past achievements exemplify NwSSU’s integrated approach to sustainability, ethical leadership, resourceful financial planning, and its agility in confronting disruptions and natural disasters. NwSSU’s sustained performance in the WURI rankings, now including its 381st spot in 2026, serves as a powerful testament to its UpRISE—progressive, inclusive, and impactful educational practices. By integrating sustainability, crisis resilience, and principled governance within its core, NwSSU continues to exemplify how state universities can drive transformative change, effectively serving both local communities and addressing broader global challenges. #WURI2026 #RISENwSSU