Biliran Province State University was among the higher education institutions (HEIs) recognized by the Department of Budget and Management Regional Office VIII (DBM-8) for its contribution to the responsible use of public resources.

The University received the Higher Education Resource Partnership Award on September 17 during Project BISIG (Bridging Institutions and Stakeholders for Inclusive Governance) at the Leyte Convention Complex in Brgy. Pawing, Palo, Leyte.

The recognition highlighted BiPSU’s partnership with DBM-8 in supporting the delivery of accessible, responsive, and quality higher education through the responsible management of public resources. 

Engr. Vivencio A. Pelesco, vice president for Administration, Finance, and Sustainable Management, accepted the award on behalf of the University.

Project BISIG, held on September 17–18, is part of the Regional Open Government Program and carried the theme, “Building Stronger Partnerships and Strengthening Citizen Participation for Inclusive Co-Creation and Sustained Collaboration on Public Financial Management.”

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Biliran Province State University participated in the Filipino Leaders in Advancing International Reputation (FLAIR) Masterclass – Visayas Leg held on September 8–9 at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City.

Representing the University were Dr. Pearl Irish V. de Paz, director of the Office of Research and Knowledge Management; Dr. Alvin Ampong, director of the Office of Extension Services and Societal Impact; and Ms. Chiejheacca Jehanna Yu, director of the Office of Internationalization Affairs.

Organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through its International Affairs Service, the two-day masterclass gathered around 64 higher education institutions from across the Visayas under the theme “Beyond Rankings: Strengthening Global Reputation.”

The activity provided participating institutions with discussions and workshops on internationalization, global ranking indicators, and the preparation of institutional data for Times Higher Education and QS submissions. It also included a self-assessment activity to help HEIs determine their readiness in managing and verifying data required for global benchmarking.

The masterclass concluded with a Commitment Signing, with participating institutions affirming their support for efforts to strengthen the international reputation and global competitiveness of Philippine higher education.

The activity is part of CHED’s Inclusive and Impact-Driven Internationalization pillar under the CHED A.C.H.I.E.V.E. Agenda.

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As BiPSU turns its former BSBA Department into the School of Business and Management, alumnus Reggie Calvez offers a glimpse of what business education can become when classroom knowledge finds its way into the community.

There are many ways to measure whether a school has evolved.

At times, it is seen in a new building rising where an old one once stood. Sometimes, it is written in a board resolution that gives an academic unit a new name, a wider mandate, and a bigger responsibility. And, it can likewise be known inside a poultry house of a young entrepreneur, where the meaning of business education becomes tangible.

Reggie Calvez, a  Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) graduate of then Naval State University (NSU), now Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) has emerged as an awarded agribusiness owner in the province.

Beneath his poultry in Barangay Sampao, Almeria, hundreds of chickens move between feeders and nesting spaces, their restless fluttering blending with the steady sounds of a farm coming to life. The air carries the familiar warmth of poultry, while rows of hens fill the space with movement. Somewhere between the rustle of feathers and the routine of feeding, eggs are gathered—small, ordinary products that have become the foundation of a growing enterprise.

The lessons he gained in the University now sustains him into the agriculture business. His enterprise, Calvez Regg’s Poultry Farm, also known as Atong Itlog ni Bai, began with 100 ready-to-lay chickens in May 2025. This year, it has 200. And after being named a Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Upscale Category Awardee on September 4, 2026 with a ₱300,000 grant, he is preparing to add another 300.

In this moment, the journey of Reggie becomes a story about what happens when a university grows—and its graduates grow with it.

A school grows from a legacy

Business education has long been part of BiPSU identity. Since 2005, what is now the School of Business and Management (SBM) has existed as the Department of Business Administration under the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS). From that unit came thousands of graduates who have gone on to work in financial institutions, corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, government offices, and other organizations throughout the globe.

But institutions, much like the people they serve, eventually grow beyond the structures that once contained them.

Through BiPSU Board Resolution No. 27, series of 2026, the former Business Administration department has evolved into a full-fledged School of Business and Management—an academic identity with a broader mandate and a clearer space to respond to the changing world of enterprise.

Matter of fact, business no longer moves at the pace it used to. Artificial intelligence is changing how companies operate. Digital commerce allows even small enterprises to reach customers beyond their communities. A movement in the peso can affect the price of goods on a neighborhood table. A change in economic policy can open a door for one entrepreneur while closing another.

This is where business education becomes more than accounting formulas, marketing principles, or management theories. Because behind every enterprise is a person, behind every employee is a family, and behind every salary received is a household that can buy food, keep a child in school, or finally afford something that once seemed out of reach. Business, therefore, is never only about profit; it is about people.

The emergence of SBM gives BiPSU a stronger platform to deepen industry partnerships, pursue specialized research, strengthen its academic programs, and prepare graduates whose leadership reaches beyond financial success toward responsible and ethical enterprise.

For Dean Dr. Claire Theresa Bentor, the milestone represents the beginning of a new chapter—one that continues the University’s vision of developing competent, innovative, and socially responsible professionals.

“We are honored to become part of every student’s journey toward becoming future leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers,” she shared. “In the SBM, we S-trive, B-uild, and M-ake an impact.”

This academic year, the school carries that vision through 53 faculty members and two academic programs: BS Business Administration major in Marketing Management, headed by Mr. Hans Christian Molina, and BS Business Administration major in Financial Management, headed by Mr. Crismar Hoylar. Together, they serve 1,748 students—827 in Marketing Management and 921 in Financial Management.

It is a sizable academic community. Yet, the more meaningful measure of a school is not how many students sit inside its classrooms. It is what those students eventually do with what they learned there.

In that long list of graduates is Reggie, a young man who took his business education somewhere few might have expected—back to the farm.

A business and a home

Long before Reggie learned about marketing strategies and financial management, he was already familiar with the smell of a farm. He grew up in a farming family. Animal care, planting, selling, and the everyday work of agriculture were part of his childhood. The farm was not a business case in a textbook, it was simply life.

Yet after graduating from NSU in 2018, agriculture was not immediately where his career took him. He went to Manila. There, he worked as a telesales representative and later as an operations officer. His BSBA degree became useful in ways he perhaps could not have fully appreciated while still in college. Marketing helped him understand selling and customers. Finance helped him make sense of money and budgets. More importantly, working in the corporate environment gave him another perspective on how businesses succeed—or struggle.

Then, eventually, the road led home. Agriculture was still there. Only this time, Reggie was looking at it through the eyes of a business graduate. “Agriculture became part of my identity,” he said.

In 2024, that identity found an opportunity through the Young Farmers Challenge, a program by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

He took the chance. Then, he won the Provincial Start-Up Category, receiving ₱80,000. That first award became the seed. On May 2, 2025, Reggie used the opportunity to begin his poultry venture with 100 ready-to-lay chickens. There was nothing grand about the beginning; just a flock, a farm, a provincial entrepreneur, and the eagerness to find out whether a small idea could become something bigger.

Where the lessons met the land

Walk into Reggie's poultry operation today and the vocabulary of business takes on a different sound.

Demand is no longer a definition written, it is the customer asking whether there are enough eggs available. Budgeting is no longer an exercise, it is knowing how much can be spent without putting the next production cycle at risk. Marketing is no longer a chapter in a textbook, it is the conversation with a customer who decides whether to buy again. Management is no longer an examination, it is the daily responsibility of making sure the operation works. For Reggie, his BSBA education has become a practical tool.

He applies what he learned, where every business decision carries real consequences. This is where education becomes more than a credential. It becomes capacity—the ability to look at what one has, understand what the market needs, calculate what is possible, and then make something grow.

The real competition was within

Yet every enterprise has its own uncertainty.

The egg market is competitive. Expenses can be unpredictable. Every entrepreneur knows the uncomfortable space between investing and waiting to see whether the capital will pay off.

Reggie knows that space well. There were moments when fear of failure became its own kind of burden. What if the business will not work? What if he lost money? What if the market was already too saturated? Eventually, however, he came to a realization which became one of his strongest motivations: “Sarili ko lang din ang kalaban ko.” [My only enemy is myself.]

He was his own biggest opponent. The market could be difficult, but fear could be more paralyzing. So he chose not to surrender to it. He worked harder, he prayed, and he continued.

“Hindi ko hinayaan ang takot na mangibabaw, bagkus ginalingan ko at mas ginagalingan ko pa,” [I didn’t let fear take over; instead, I gave it my best and keep pushing to do even better,] Reggie expressed. “Isang chance lang, papatunayan ko na kaya ko.” [Just one chance, I'll prove that I can do it.]

That was his biggest challenge in navigating a business. Today, he reaps the beauty of it. Among the things he treasures most about the business is not simply its profitability, yet seeing customers return.

For Reggie, a successful enterprise is built through relationships as much as transactions. A customer may come because they need eggs, but they return because they trust the product and the person behind it. That belief reflects the marketer in him.

On winning as a young Biliranon farmer

His first YFC recognition in 2024 gave him ₱80,000 and the opportunity to walk. His latest one gives him room to run.

This month, Reggie was named a Young Farmers Challenge – Upscale Category Awardee, securing a ₱300,000 grant for his bigger flock. His next plan, straightforward, bringing the farm’s projected population to 500 chickens.

For the young farmer, that number represents more than scale, it represents confidence and the possibility that a micro enterprise can become a stable source of livelihood. Besides, it reflects what business education often seeks to cultivate: the ability to see opportunity where others may see only limitations.

Notably, Reggie also bagged the Outstanding Business Plan for the YFC Upscale category. This showcases that his growing enterprise is not built on opportunity alone, but on careful planning, sound business thinking, and the ability to translate an idea into a viable and scalable agricultural venture.

Reggie credits many people for helping him reach this point. He remembers the provincial agriculture office, as well as the DA Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) Region VIII, whose guidance and support remained throughout the journey. He thanks his family, whose farming background gave him his earliest tie to agriculture. Equally, he extends gratitude to his college instructors, whose lessons in business continue to live inside the enterprise he now manages.

“Ang pagkapanalo ko ay panalo nating lahat,” [My victory is everyone’s victory,] Reggie shared.

Building an entrepreneur

Long before Reggie learned to manage a poultry enterprise, he was learning to manage something more personal: himself.

As a BSBA student at BiPSU, who majored in Marketing and Financial Management, Reggie was not the kind of student who easily walked into a room and struck up conversations. He grew up shy and quiet, and he openly recognized communication as one of his weaknesses. For someone studying business—a field built around people, negotiations, presentations and linkages—it was a challenge he could not simply ignore.

But he did not allow it to become a reason to stop.

He continued his studies, even as he carried the discomfort of speaking and interacting with others. Along the way, he met people who became sources of inspiration, helping him confront the very weakness he once thought defined him.

What happened next became more significant than simply becoming better at communicating. He discovered himself.

“Siguro para sa iba, maliit na bagay ang tinatawag ko na kahinaan, pero para sa akin, ang mapagtagumpayan ito ay walang katumbas na kaligayahan,” [To others, what I call a weakness might seem like a small thing, but for me, overcoming it brings a happiness beyond compare,] Reggie stated. “Sapagkat doon ko lang naramdaman na, kaya ko pala, kaya ko lahat!” [Because it was only then that I felt I could do it—that I could do anything!]

From that realization came something that would eventually become part of his greatest assets as an entrepreneur: confidence and trust in himself.

That confidence did not remain inside the classroom. It followed him into his work with corporate clients and in agribusiness, where he would have to make decisions as an entrepreneur carrying risks. Conceivably, this is where the making of an entrepreneur truly begins—not when the first business is registered, not when the first product is sold, and not even when the first profit is earned. It begins when an individual learns to believe that he is capable of building something.

As per Reggie, BiPSU became part of that discovery. The business lessons gave him knowledge to work with, the people he encountered helped him overcome a personal limitation, and the self-esteem he gradually built gave him the courage to take those lessons beyond the university.

He carries the quiet victory of a student who once questioned his ability to communicate, but eventually learned to trust his own capacity to grow. Before he learned how to build a business, he first learned how to build himself.

What a business school mean to a community

In March 2025, BiPSU’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program achieved the highest distinction of Level IV Phase 2 Re-accredited status from the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACUP), making it the only higher education institution in Eastern Visayas to have attained this accreditation status as of this writing. Moreover, both of its offered programs—Marketing Management and Financial Management—have secured Certificates of Program Compliance (COPC), signifying that they have met the regulatory standards and requirements for the continued delivery of quality academic courses.

These accomplishments underline the merit and strength of business education at Biliran Province State University, reflecting its commitment to maintaining rigorous academic standards, developing industry-ready graduates, and providing students with education that is responsive to the demands of a changing economy and business landscape.

Moreso, the founding of the SBM comes at a time when the meaning of entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly important to communities like Biliran.

The business school can teach students how to manage capital, but its deeper purpose is to teach them how to create value. It can teach them how to understand markets, but also how to understand the people within those markets. It can teach them how to pursue profit, but also why responsible enterprise matters.

Because when a business succeeds, its impact rarely stops with the owner.

A farm that grows may need more workers, a store that expands may buy from more suppliers, a local enterprise may keep money circulating within the community. An entrepreneur who succeeds may become the reason another individual begins to believe that entrepreneurship is possible and rewarding.

Wherefore, the SBM matters to the communities it serves, and reciprocally. It is not simply a change in organizational structure, it is a statement about what the university believes its business graduates can become.

Future leaders, entrepreneurs, changemakers.

Not merely people who can enter the workforce, but people who can help shape it. Not merely graduates who look for opportunities, but graduates who can create them. Not merely business professionals who know how to make money, but accountable citizens who understand that business decisions eventually reach human lives.

Reggie’s story gives that vision a face.

Shaped by the graduates

Since the establishment of the Department of Business Administration under its first-ever dean, Dr. John Anthony Romagos, the school’s true footprint isn't measured in brick and mortar, but in the world its graduates build.

Enrollment figures, faculty strength, programs, facilities, accreditation, research, partnership—these matter. But there is another worth that cannot always fit neatly into an institutional report.

Look at what its graduates create. Look at the businesses they establish. The people they employ. The communities they transform. The problems they solve. The dreams they make feasible for others.

For two decades, among the generations of graduates the SBM has produced and sent into the world, Reggie showcases what that journey can look like.

His path did not follow a straight line. He graduated with a non-board business degree, he worked in the city, he returned to agriculture, he entered a competition, he started with 100 chickens, he doubled the flock, he faced uncertainties, he persisted, and now, he is preparing to upscale even more with 500 ready-to-lay chickens.

That is not simply a success story about poultry. It is a story about possibility.

Chase excellence and let success follow

By the time the morning work is done at the poultry farm, the trays of eggs have been gathered, the chickens have been tended to, and another day of business has begun. For Reggie, however, the farm represents more than an expanding enterprise. Sixteen months after starting business operations, it becomes a place where the lessons he learned as a student continue to take shape—through brilliance, progress, service, and the discipline to do things well even when no one is watching.

These are values that extend beyond business. They are values that BiPSU hones in its students: competence anchored in character, excellence matched with responsibility, and knowledge put into meaningful service.

Reminiscing about his own journey, Reggie recounted that when he was still a business student, he often wondered when success would finally come. When will he get there? Will he ever succeed?

Today, standing on the other side of that doubt, he has a different answer.

He draws inspiration from a line associated with Phunsukh Wangdu in the film 3 Idiots: “Follow excellence, and success will chase you.” These words have become more than a memorable line from a film. His experience in business and agriculture has given the idea a life of its own.

He urges students not to make money or even become a successful businessman as their sole destination. Instead, pursue brilliance in whatever is in front of them. “When studying, study not merely to pass, but to understand,” Reggie said. “Learn not simply to complete requirements, but to acquire knowledge that can eventually be used wisely.”

According to him, when the time comes for the BiPSU students to build a business, they should give their best service. They must offer quality, and take care of the people who place their trust in them. Because success, he believes, is often a consequence rather than a destination. When excellence is what you chase, the success, income, and customers will eventually begin to follow you.

In Sampao, a young alumnus is already living that lesson. The eggs may be small, but each one carries the possibility of something more. Much like the students now filling the classrooms of SBM, they are reminders that growth does not happen all at once. It begins tiny—with one lesson discerned, one skill developed, one decision made rational, and one person passionate to pursue excellence.

In the country, agriculture remains one of the important economic foundations. In 2025, the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (AFF) sector accounted for 7.9% of the Philippines’ gross domestic product and grew by 3.1%, recovering from a contraction the previous year. More notably for young entrepreneurs like Reggie Calvez, poultry and egg production grew by 9.1%.

BiPSU contributes to this continuing development by preparing graduates who can take what they learn in the classroom and turn it into solutions, enterprises, and opportunities within their communities.

Through its newly established School of Business and Management, the University continues to strengthen this commitment—developing students not only to become capable professionals, but also critical thinkers, ethical entrepreneurs, innovative leaders, and community builders who can respond to the needs of a fluctuating economy.

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[This article aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.]

Twenty-five faculty members from Biliran Province State University participated in the financial literacy seminar “Money Talks: Learn. Save. Invest.” held on September 8 at the Leyte Normal University (LNU) HRDC Hall in Tacloban City.

The seminar was organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Tacloban-Leyte, Inc., in partnership with LNU, with the participation of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Tacloban Branch.

The participating faculty members came from the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM), School of Business and Management (SBM), School of Technology and Computer Studies (STCS), and the Department of Agribusiness Management.

The seminar discussed practical approaches to financial management, including budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, and responsible spending. Participants also learned about the security features of Philippine currency, including the newer polymer banknotes, to help them better recognize and handle Philippine money.

The activity provided the faculty members with practical knowledge that may guide them in making sound and responsible financial decisions. The lessons gained may also be shared with students and colleagues, helping promote greater financial awareness within the BiPSU community.

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Biliran Province State University participated in the two-day seminar-workshop on curriculum unbundling and BOPPPS instructional design for lifelong learning pathways, including ETEEAP, micro-credentials, and ODeL, conducted by the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office VIII (CHEDRO VIII) on September 8–9 at the Radiant Hotel and Events in Tacloban City.

Representing BiPSU were Dr. Mae V. Ceblano, director of Advanced and Accessible Lifelong Learning; Ms. Dianne Dalin-as, chairperson of the Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness; and faculty members of the Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Dr. Marianne Agnes T. Mendoza and Mr. Jeruel Espinazo.

The workshop was designed to strengthen participating higher education institutions’ (HEIs) capacity to offer flexible lifelong learning pathways. It focused on curriculum unbundling and the use of the BOPPPS instructional design framework in developing outcomes-focused and modular course units.

The sessions covered lifelong learning pathways, ODeL learning design, ETEEAP planning and learning design, and micro-credential development. Participants also worked on learning packages for ODeL, ETEEAP, and micro-credentials using the BOPPPS framework.

On the second day, participants presented and demonstrated their outputs, followed by peer review, quality checks, refinement, and integration of the learning packages.

The activity brought together selected public and private HEIs in the region to strengthen their capacity in developing lifelong learning programs and pathways.

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Biliran Province State University (BiPSU), through President Dr. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr., has personally visited Dr. Roberto Mangaliman, Schools Division Superintendent of the Department of Education Schools Division Office of Biliran, to initiate discussions on research-based learning recovery initiatives, including a proposed Learning Recovery Summit, to address learning gaps among learners in the province, yesterday, September 9, held at the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent, Department of Education, Larrazabal, Naval, Biliran.

Together with the university’s vice presidents, Dr. Erwin G. Salvatierra and Dr. Roland Niez, and other key officials, including Dr. Analiza B. Calles, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and Ms. Apple Joy Balondo-Visitacion, University Board Secretary V, the said initiative responds to findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which underscored persistent challenges in foundational literacy and numeracy and the need to address learning gaps.

“As a university, we have a mandate to respond to the needs of local and global communities. Through this initiative, we are not only addressing learning gaps in Biliran but also contributing to efforts to tackle a national challenge,” President Cañezo said.

The university president emphasized that improving learning outcomes is a shared responsibility, noting that learners from DepEd schools eventually enter universities such as BiPSU, while many teachers serving the division are themselves graduates of the institution. He stressed the importance of strengthening both learner support and teacher preparation to help break the cycle of learning difficulties.

Under the proposed initiative, the first phase will focus on research and assessment to determine the extent of learning gaps in Biliran and identify factors affecting learner performance. The findings will guide the development of targeted interventions through BiPSU’s extension programs, with community-based learning support.

President Cañezo likewise proposed assessing learning needs within BiPSU, emphasizing that interventions should be grounded in evidence.

SDS Mangaliman welcomed the collaboration and highlighted the importance of monitoring and evaluation in helping learners achieve the competencies expected at their grade levels.

“This is a very good intervention to support our goal of becoming number one in literacy in Eastern Visayas,” said Dr. Mangaliman.

Both institutions are targeting the availability of research findings within the year for presentation at the proposed Learning Recovery Summit, tentatively eyed for late November or December 2026. The summit would provide a venue to discuss the assessment results, identify appropriate interventions, and coordinate learning recovery efforts across the province.

Further planning discussions are being targeted for late September or early October.

Through the proposed collaboration, BiPSU and DepEd Biliran aim to connect university research and extension with classroom and community needs, helping learners from the province build stronger foundations for their next stage of education.

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The Molder Publication, the official student publication of the Biliran Province State University-Laboratory High School (BiPSU-LHS), placed overall first runner-up in the 27th Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) held from September 1–4 in Almeria, Biliran.

The publication received several awards in both individual and group categories, with its first- to third-place winners earning slots to represent the Biliran Division in their respective categories at the Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) in March 2027, which will be hosted by Biliran Province State University.

In the individual categories, Sherlyn Amarilla, Xandermarco Ysmael Zipagan, Kashzandra Claire P. Balondo, Kaiser Mercader, Stephanie Marie Salas, and Xien Quijada each won first place in News Writing-Filipino, Feature Writing-Secondary English, Editorial Cartooning-English, Editorial Cartooning-Filipino, Copyediting-English, and Copyediting-Filipino, respectively.

Moreover, Sofia Anne Clarisse Nartia placed second in News Writing-English, while Krisbenj Emerald Calvez placed third in Science and Technology Writing-Filipino. Third-place finishes were also recorded by Cris Jumetilco in Editorial Writing-English, Marione Lamoste in Editorial Cartooning-English, Athena Anuelo in Photojournalism-English, and Patricia Ann Tapia in Column Writing-English.

Mikaela Sabonsolin placed fourth in News Writing-Filipino, while Precious Loi Sale also clinched fourth place in Science and Technology Writing-English.

In the group categories, The Molder’s English Radio Broadcasting team won first place and was named overall champion. The team is composed of Frances Ligaya Cordero, Joshua Deuel Salutan, Rheiana Lorien Rivera, Jean Marie Velasco, Alexandra Nicole Ebio, Vicente Generalao VI, and Arcae Gabrielle Tambis. Furthermore, it received special awards for Best Script, Best Radio Production, Best Anchor for Salutan, and Best Technical Application for Tambis.

The English Online Publishing team also placed first, with Cleve Palconit, Emmanuel Sadoguio, Ma Athena Bianca Dolino, Febbie Kate Ralar, and Athena Abrigo as members.

Meanwhile, the Filipino Radio Broadcasting team placed second, composed of Seith Kenji Batuto, Leana Eamiguel, Sachi Sefina Caneja, Qwyncy Tanguihan, Carmell Merabueno, Mark Andrew Polinar, and Shecaniah Rivera.

The Filipino TV Broadcasting team also placed second and received the Best Script award. Its members are Mae Rubienyth Badinas, Jonel Pitao, Beatrice Arpon, Stephanie Ligoy-Ligoy, Shauntel Bue, John Henry Delantar, and Nory Jean Forasteros.

Meanwhile, the English TV Broadcasting team placed third, with Chauncey Gale Robenta, Precious Jehad Saul, Prince Naethan De Aquino, Allixies Marchelli Rivera, Zyann Audrey Colo, Krisha Mae Bulajao, and Harrie Mangco as members. It also received Best Anchor for Robenta and Best Devcom for Mangco.

The publication’s participants were coached by Ms. Bernadette G. Bernadas, Ms. Carmelle Ann Bernadas, Ms. Zeah Joyce Ignacio, and Ms. Ma. Krizzia Mae R. Codera.

Congratulations, BiPSUnistas!

#WoWBiPSU

You could hear a pin drop in the classroom when the professor asked the question.

A student sat among her classmates, the thought formed clearly in her head, ready to be spoken. But before the words could leave her lips, hesitation arrived first. She kept silent. Someone else answered, and the discussion moved on. It was a familiar scene.

Jalaisa Sacedor Quirido, an alumna of Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) under the School of Management and Entrepreneurship (now School of Tourism and Hospitality Management), was the kind of student who often knew what she wanted to say but lacked the courage to say it aloud. She was shy, unsure of herself, and afraid that perhaps her answer was not good enough. And when class ended, she would sometimes think about the response she could have given.

Years later, that same lady would find herself speaking not merely in a classroom, but to people from different countries and cultures—welcoming passengers aboard flights, responding to their needs, representing an international airline, and building a life thousands of kilometers away from the small island where she grew up.

The difference between those two moments is a story about how confidence is built slowly, how a woman tries while the fear is still there, and how a university can become the place to recognize a version of herself she had not yet met.

From keeping an answer to herself as a dreamer, Jalaisa is now part of the global workforce of Qatar Airways, one of the world's leading airlines, as a flight attendant. 

A childhood that knew the value of school

Jalaisa’s journey did not begin in an airport, it began on an island. She grew up in Higatangan, among the best tourist spots in Biliran province. She’s the youngest of five siblings in a family that did not have much. Her parents could not always provide the things they asked for, but they made one thing a priority: their children's education.

Whenever she requested for something beyond what the family could afford, she would hear her parents say, “Paniguro lang ug skwela, dai.” [Just work hard in your studies, dear.] At first, she understood those words as a gentle refusal—an explanation of why a certain want had to wait. As she grew older, however, the meaning changed. Her parents taught her that life would not always offer them the same things other people had; what they could offer was the discipline to strive, the faith to keep going, and the opportunity to study.

It was a lesson formed not through lectures, but through sacrifice. Jalaisa carried it into BiPSU.

But when she entered the university, she did not arrive as the confident young woman people see today. She arrived quietly.

Who was afraid to raise her hand, given a space to grow

Jalaisa describes her collegiate self simply as average, shy, and uncertain.

She knew ideas but often kept them to herself. She knew answers but feared speaking them. There were moments when she would leave classes regretting that she had remained silent. For a while, it was easier to stay within the safety of observation—to listen to others, to avoid getting things wrong in public, to let confidence belong to people who seemed to have more of it.

But BiPSU slowly began to challenge that version of her.

There were ample days when she and her friends gathered in the library, outside classrooms, or in the cafeteria, stretching study sessions long enough to make difficult subjects feel manageable. There were conversations between classes, shared notes, small jokes during stressful days, and the comfort of knowing that someone else was trying to survive the same academic pressure.

Those moments, she says, became some of her fondest memories of college. More importantly, she learned something that would later become crucial to her career: “The people around you can either reinforce your doubts or help you outgrow them.”

Jalaisa found friends who believed in her. She found instructors who did not simply teach lessons but shared their own experiences and stories of becoming. Their lives reminded her that confidence was not something reserved for people who were naturally fearless, rather it could be learned.

So she started taking chances. She joined activities, tested herself, and set goals. Her Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM) degree became more than preparation for employment. It became a training ground for the person she was becoming.

The course required her to interact with people, face unfamiliar situations, understand different perspectives, and communicate with greater confidence. She learned that tourism was not simply about destinations; it was about people, service, culture, and the ability to make another person feel welcome.

In the process, she discovered something about herself, that she could do more than she thought. By graduation, the girl who once struggled to raise her hand had graduated with Latin honor.

The transformation was gradual enough that she could hardly point to the exact moment it happened. She looked back and realized that she was already stepping outside the walls she had built around her.

When the dreamer earned her wings

Becoming a flight attendant had always been somewhere in Jalaisa's imagination. For years, the dream stayed there. She wanted it, but she did not have the courage to apply. Perhaps the irony was that while she had spent her college years learning to speak with confidence, applying for an international airline still seemed like a leap too large to take.

Then the heavenly opportunity came. Qatar Airways opened a recruitment, and Jalaisa found herself standing before a familiar crossroads: to remain within what was comfortable or to risk hearing a "no".

She applied. The recruitment process was not a single interview that changed everything. It was a three-day test of preparation and composure, involving interviews and examinations amid a field of numerous applicants competing for the same opportunity.

After those three days, the waiting began. Requirements had to be completed. Medical examinations had to be passed. There were stretches of uncertainty when there was nothing more to do but wait for an outcome she could not control.

For someone who had once feared speaking in front of a classroom, this was another kind of test. There was no answer sheet to check, no professor to ask, no certainty that effort would produce a result. Jalaisa did what she could do. She prepared, she waited, and she prayed.

And she learned another lesson: “Courage also means surrendering what you cannot decide,” Jalaisa shared.

Eventually, the job offer came. But even then, the wings were not yet hers.

After moving to Qatar, she underwent two months of intensive training to officially earn the job title. The training challenged her physically, mentally, and emotionally. It demanded discipline and perseverance, and it taught her that the glamorous image of aviation is only the surface of a profession built on precision, composure, responsibility, and service.

Then came the moment she had religiously worked toward. She earned her wings. The occasion she once lacked the courage to pursue had become her profession.

What the cabin crew uniform reflects

From the outside, a flight attendant's life can look like a dream stitched together by boarding gates, polished uniforms, beautiful destinations, and photographs from cities that most people only see on screens.

Jalaisa has seen that beauty. Yet, she has also learned the weight beneath it. Long flights, changing schedules, being away from family, living independently in another country, the emotional and physical demands of remaining professional and composed even when exhaustion has already settled in. Every flight brings a different combination of passengers, personalities, cultures, and circumstances. Each interaction requires adjustment.

The work is prestigious, she says, but it is also demanding. Perhaps that is what makes her story more meaningful. She did not simply arrive at a glamorous career, she grew into the person capable of carrying it.

Living abroad taught her independence. Aviation taught her composure. Traveling taught her perspective. And the experiences she gathered from people around the world gave her something she didn’t expect when she was still a student in a small province—a broader understanding of how large the world is, and how much there is to learn from it.

Grateful for her own blessing

“Growing up, my parents had taught me that life would not always offer us the same things other people had,” Jalaisa told. They knew what it meant to live within their means, to choose necessities over wants, and to make sacrifices so they could remain in school. 

Now, as she travels across continents, she has come to understand that lesson from an entirely different vantage point. “The world has given me what I once only imagined,” Jalaisa expressed. “Traveling has taught me to be grateful and to be present—to enjoy and savor each moment because not everyone gets the opportunity to experience the things that I have been fortunate enough to experience.”

For someone whose childhood was shaped by knowing that not everything could be afforded, the privilege of seeing the world is not something she takes lightly. Each destination becomes a reminder of how unexpectedly life can unfold when one continues to show up, takes a chance, and trusts the journey.

“I may have started as a shy girl from the small island of Higatangan, but by God’s grace, I have experienced more than I could have dreamt,” she stated. Instead of allowing these experiences to make her forget where she started, they have made her more grateful for it.

The provincial lady who once learned to accept what life could not give her eventually received what life offers with gratitude.

The more she sees globally, the more she cherishes home

A paradox in Jalaisa's life is that the farther she travels, the more deeply she appreciates where she came from.

She has seen places she once only admired. She has met people whose cultures are completely different from hers. She has experienced the beauty of unknown cities and the rhythm of life in countries she once learned only from reels.

But no matter how beautiful the destination, there remains something she looks forward to at home. The people, her family, and the simplicity she loves. For Jalaisa, home is no longer defined by a particular place. It is defined by the humans who make returning meaningful.

Travel has made the world larger for her, and it has also made home more precious. “Sometimes, it takes seeing how vast the world is to understand how special the little place that raised you has always been,” she said.

View beyond tourism

Her experiences in aviation have also given Jalaisa a more mature understanding of the field she studied.

Tourism, she believes, should never be measured only by how many visitors arrive or how many vlogs a destination produces. There are people behind every destination. There are communities behind every attraction. There are cultures and ecosystems that should not have to disappear for a place to become profitable.

Coming from an island, Jalaisa hopes to see more responsible and community-based tourism—development that allows local people to genuinely benefit while protecting the environment and preserving cultural identity. She believes the Philippines has countless places beyond its usual tourist centers that deserve attention, including micro and remote destinations whose beauty has not yet been fully seen. Her hope is not just to bring tourists there, it is to ensure that when tourism arrives, the community benefits with it.

That perspective is perhaps one of the most valuable things she carries from her Tourism Management education into the aviation industry. She now sees the world not merely as a collection of destinations, but as a collection of communities.

Weaving BiPSU with the world, world with BiPSU

Jalaisa has spent years moving between countries; but she has never wanted distance to erase where she began.

As a BiPSU alumna, she carries the university in less tangible but perhaps more important ways—through the confidence to communicate, the willingness to take opportunities, the ability to work with different people, and the humility to keep learning. Her experiences abroad have widened her understanding of culture, human race, and possibilities. Now she hopes to bring some of that widened perspective home.

For her, weaving BiPSU with the world means taking the values and lessons she gained from the university wherever she goes, while bringing the experiences she gains from the world back to the community that helped shape her. The relationship works both ways.

BiPSU helped prepare her to meet the world. The world continues to teach her what she can bring back to BiPSU. This is why she wants students to understand that coming from a small place does not require them to dream small. A person's starting point is not a ceiling.

Her public announcement to BiPSUnistas

Somewhere inside the University today is another student who knows the answer but is afraid to speak. Someone who doubts whether they are good enough, someone who sees an opportunity but hesitates to apply because rejection feels worse than failure, someone who dreams of an unfamiliar place and wonders whether a person from Biliran could ever belong there.

Jalaisa knows that feeling. She lived it. “Keep showing up, keep trying,” the flight attendant herself advises. “Do not be afraid of gateways that push you outside your comfort zone.”

In addition, Jalaisa reminds the BiPSU community to choose people who believe in their growth. It is likewise important that they do their part, work hard, pray, and trust God.

She speaks about faith not as an obliged idea, but as something that accompanied her through vagueness. She believes she did not arrive where she is through strength alone; there were things she prayed for, things she waited for, and things that did not happen according to the timeline she wanted. Yet she sees faithfulness in every season.

That is the message she now offers to students still standing at the beginning of their own stories. “Do not limit what your life can become simply because you cannot yet see the road ahead.”

There is something poetic about the girl who used to stay quiet when she knew the answer. Perhaps she did not become fearless, perhaps she simply became brave enough to speak while still afraid. And that may be what education is capable of doing at its best—not turning students into people they were never meant to be, but helping them discover the person who was there all along.

Jalaisa arrived at BiPSU as a shy student who did not know where her journey would lead. She departed as a graduate who had learned to trust her voice. Today, that voice travels through aircraft cabins, across languages and races, and into conversations with people from various corners of the world.

Her story delivers how the University is committed to creating an environment where students are not only equipped with knowledge and skills, but are given the space, support, and confidence to discover their potential. It is a testament to how education in BiPSU can pilot not only careers, but the person behind them.

For the students who are still sitting quietly in their classrooms, afraid that their voices are too tiny, Jalaisa's journey offers a different ending to that fear. You may not yet know how far your voice can travel, you only need the courage to use it.

“Biliran Province State University is a special place as it provides students the opportunity to start from wherever they are and grow into wherever they want to go,” she stated. “By the time I pursued a career as a flight attendant, I had already learned the importance of challenging myself and taking a leap even when they felt intimidating.”

Rainbows could agree, a girl who lacks the courage to speak up can one day find herself speaking to the world. Because at BiPSU, every learner is given the chance to find their voice, spread their wings, and discover just how far they can go.

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[This article aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.]

Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) received the most number of awards among State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) during the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Region VIII’s FY 2026 Mid-Year Performance Dialogue for SUCs, CHED, and TESDA held on August 19 at the DBM Conference Hall, DBM Regional Office VIII, Tacloban City.

Representing BiPSU were Atty. Pahmi Hadji S. Ampaso, chief administrative officer for Finance; Dr. Sheila Day A. Gabuya, supervising administrative officer for Finance; and Ms. Jessica Myka Quijano, acting director of the Office for Strategy Management.

The university received eight recognitions for its financial management, income generation and utilization, physical performance, reportorial compliance, and overall agency performance.

BiPSU was recognized as the Top Obligations Budget Utilization Rate (BUR) Performer for recording a 99.98% obligations BUR in Fiscal Year 2025, ranking first among all SUCs in Region VIII.

It also received the Top Disbursements BUR Performer recognition after posting a 97.27% disbursements BUR in FY 2025, placing second among SUCs in the region.

Meanwhile, BiPSU received two Income Utilization Performance Awards. The first was for achieving an 80.44% five-year average income utilization rate from FY 2021 to 2025, ranking first among SUCs in Region VIII. The second recognized the university for recording the highest income utilization rate of 90.40% in FY 2025.

In addition, BiPSU received an Income Collection Award for attaining a 123.25% income collection rate in FY 2025, exceeding its target collection.

The university was likewise recognized as a Physical Performance Achiever after attaining 100% of its Physical Performance Indicators under the FY 2025 General Appropriations Act.

For its reportorial compliance, BiPSU received recognition for the first and second quarters of 2026 after achieving a 100% compliance rate in the complete and timely submission of all 24 required Budget and Financial Accountability Reports (BFARs).

Moreover, BiPSU received a Special Recognition for attaining an Overall FY 2025 Agency Performance Review (APR) Score of 5.00, reflecting its performance in governance, public fund management, and delivery of public services.

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Energy Development Corporation (EDC) donated decommissioned equipment to Biliran Province State University through the ceremonial signing of a Deed of Donation on August 19 at the EDC Office in the Origami Building, Ormoc City.

The BiPSU delegation was led by Vice President for Administration, Finance, and Sustainable Management Engr. Vivencio A. Pelesco and Dean of the School of Engineering Engr. Carmel Sigrid D. Docallos, while EDC executives were led by Facility Operations and Leyte Site Head Engr. Estanislao M. Pialago.

Under the Deed of Donation, EDC will transfer several pieces of decommissioned equipment to BiPSU, including an Ormat Energy Converter (OEC) Power Shelter, an OEC turbine, two condensate return pumps, a six-inch wedge-type gate valve, a 30HP motor, and a pneumatic actuator.

The donated equipment will be used for educational, research, and non-commercial training purposes at the BiPSU Naval Campus, particularly to support the hands-on learning of Engineering students. The Deed provides that ownership of the donated equipment transfers to BiPSU upon its signing, with the University assuming responsibility for the transport, maintenance, use, and compliance with applicable requirements related to the equipment.

BiPSU expresses its appreciation to EDC for the donation and support, which will provide students with practical learning opportunities and greater exposure to actual equipment used in the industry.

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