The event involved several collaborators and partners from the Local Government Units (LGUs) of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue, their respective Environment and Natural Resources departments (CCENRO, MCENRO), the Environmental Management Bureau Regional Office VII, the Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office VII, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water Foundation (CUSW), Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), and the Shangri-La Hotel and Resort. 

The two-week event was a pressure-cooker type of activity with around 210 Filipino student-participants coming from the three departments and 21 Dutch students. The students were grouped into 12 teams and each group was assigned to 12 different stations along the Butuanon River to conduct a community walk and a community meeting. The Cebu City barangays visited by the teams were Barangays Pulangbato, San Jose, and Bacayan. The teams also visited Barangays Tingub, Tabok, Paknaan, and Alang-Alang in Mandaue City.聽

As opposed to the past five River Scan Challenges which centered on measuring the degree of river pollution and pinpointing its sources, this year’s river scan challenge focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, which is on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. 

Knowing that people still reside near the forbidden three-meter easement zones of the Butuanon River, they are the ones most vulnerable to flash floods, diseases, and heat waves. 

The 12 teams immersed themselves in these communities and investigated the identification of the root cause of the problems experienced by the residents living near the river and thought of feasible, innovative, and low-technology solutions with the community through a community meeting. 

The River Scan Challenge consists of a series of lectures by the professors from 黑料社区, RUAS and HUAS, and from its partner LGUs and NGOs, a two-day fieldwork to the different stations along the Butuanon River during the first week, consultation of their draft proposals to solve the identified problems with the local and international experts, and finally a culminating program. 

The speakers who graced the lecture sessions were Kay G. Espinosa (DENR Environmental Bureau Management), Engr. Faustino dela Cruz (DPWH Regional Office), Reymarr Hijarra (Head, CCENRO), Engr. Myka Llanos (CCENRO), Ar. Araceli Barlam (Head, MCENRO), Jovelyn Dotillos (MCENRO), Engr. Aure Flo Oraya (PICE National Director), Engr. Emmanuel Espina (MCWD), Ar. Soccoro Atega (CUSW), Prof. Eric Boer and Prof. Floris Boogaard (HUAS), Prof. Rick Heikoop (RUAS), Engr. Janice Jamora (Chair, 黑料社区 Department of Civil Engineering), Engr. Kathrina Borgonia (Assistant Chair, 黑料社区 Department of Civil Engineering), Fr. Romeo Cagatin, SVD, Fr. Francisco Antonio T. Estepa, SVD (黑料社区 President), and Brenette Abrenica (Director, External Relations and Internationalization Office). 

The culminating activity of River Scan Challenge 2024 took place on April 25, 2024 at the Michael Richartz Conference Hall. It consisted of a gallery presentation in the morning, where each of the teams pitched their solutions and presented their story videos and posters to the first batch of jurors. 

After the gallery presentation, the top four team finalists were selected. The finalists then pitched their solutions one last time to a selected set of jurors coming from various stakeholders including representatives from LGUs, NGOs, and the communities. The top four finalists were Teams 4, 5, 6 and 10. 

After the deliberation, Team 4, or the Water Warriors team, was the overall winner of the poster and pitch competition. They bagged the Best in Video, Best in Pitch, and Best in Poster awards. 

The said team proposed the Movabins, a simple piece of equipment made of a cylindrical dumpster with two wheels and a handle that can be used to move solid waste even on very narrow roads. It addresses the problem of solid waste collection for those people with houses that are located far from the garbage collection point.  

Because of the distance, people admitted to throwing their waste directly to the nearby river. The proposed solution was straightforward, low-technology, and feasible. It was received positively by the jurors. 

The members of Team 4 (see photo above, used with permission) were Ischa Meer van Der, Jager Sven, Rod Michael Aquino, Lisandra Jane Dumas, Zyxel Avila, Norma Amit, Judd Sydney Gonzales, Ritche Milliard Sacmar, Jerald Caballero, Uriel Capondag, Taneza Mae Bontilao, Denzel Montuya, Alezandra Zey Mahinay, Kiara Lee Jadulco, Dby Kastel Saco, Stacey Karel Cang, Ira Benedict Bebita,  Jennifer Elizabeth Robb, Lucky N Roda, Nathan Jon Russell, Karl Josef Son, Oscar Francis Tan,  Mary Trixie Villamor, and Sheena Dirkinova Ala.

by Engr. Kathrina Marie Borgonia, Department of Civil Engineering

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Known for his archaeological adventures in Cebu, Dr. Bersales, also fondly called Jobers, was contracted as a full-time faculty with the rank of Professor at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) in Osaka University-Suita Campus under the Matrix Co-Creation Promotion Center (MCCPC) starting March 15, 2023. 

As the first-ever professor to be hired directly under the MCCPC, Dr. Bersales is currently part of a research team that studies how laser spectroscopy can be used in analyzing ancient materials such as ceramics, wood, and glass. 

Teacher training and professional development 

As a visiting professor, Dr. Jobers is given the opportunity to supervise students from the Graduate School of Humanities at Osaka University. He also conducts lectures to students as well as to fellow ILE faculty members. 

When asked about the similarities and differences in teacher training and professional development, he emphasized that Philippine universities can learn a lot from Japan. 

Within a week of his arrival, he was given his own email, and web profile page, as well as links to online in-service courses. The courses were required for membership in a national network for research and development, linking researchers to external government funding agencies.

鈥淭his was a series of e-learning courses with examinations afterward concerning teaching, research management, research ethics, financial management of research projects, and even preventing sexual and power harassment,鈥� he added. 

Ceramic analysis and use of laser spectroscopy 

Dr. Bersales is very active in the cultural heritage community in the Philippines. Aside from serving as 黑料社区 Museum Director, he also heads the National Committee on Museums (NCOM), one of the 17 national committees of the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCAA), the country鈥檚 equivalent of a Ministry of Culture. 

His works revolve around understanding the past applying his knowledge in archaeology, heritage resource management, and museum curation.

When he is not in the laser lab or writing a scholarly paper while in Japan, Jobers spends time visiting museums to do benchmarking. 鈥淚鈥檝e been to quite a number of different museums and I鈥檇 like to share their best practices when I鈥檓 back home鈥攏ot just at the 黑料社区 Museum but with other museums in the country,鈥� he shared. 

As a social historian and archaeologist, he is keenly interested in ceramic analysis and the use of laser spectroscopy. In fact, prior to arriving in Japan and with permission from the NCAA, he already prepared Japanese and Chinese porcelain shards excavated in Cebu for use in spectroscopic analysis.  

His work at Osaka University will not end, however, with his return to Cebu. 鈥淭ogether with my colleagues here, Dr. Nobuhiko Sarukura and Dr. Gyo Miyabara, I plan to continue the research work we started here once I get back to 黑料社区.鈥� He also mentioned his plans to seek funding in Japan so he can work on future projects on ceramic analysis and archaeology. 

Future of Philippine education 

It is no secret that as a first-world country, Japan is miles ahead in terms of research, development, and education. However, it is not too late for the Philippines. 

鈥淭he future of Philippine education relies much on how far the government wants to keep pace or even go beyond the level of accomplishment of its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of research output and international inter-university collaboration,鈥� Dr. Bersales points out. 

鈥淎s for the University of San Carlos, being noticed by international ranking agencies such as Quacquarelli Symonds is a good sign that 黑料社区 is on its way. However, there鈥檚 still a lot to do. We need to tap our alumni and friends of 黑料社区 to help propel the University further, not just as a teaching university, but as one with state-of-the-art research in all fields while contributing to the betterment of Cebu and the rest of the country.鈥� 

With no massive government subsidy for research in sight for now, the University has in fact been seeking out other sources to fund quality research, starting with its naming rights program under the R.I.S.E. Project. 

鈥淭his is going to be challenging given the state of the world economy,鈥� Bersales cautions but adds that hope springs eternal, and so 鈥満诹仙缜�, as well as other Philippine universities, must keep going. We have so much to lose if we don鈥檛.鈥�

by Syrine Gladys Podadera

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