Educators and administrators from 37 higher education institutions (HEIs) across Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region described the recent “Creating the Creatives: Global Pathways Seminar-Workshop” as “excellent,” “informative,” “timely,” and “worth repeating.” For many, it was not just a seminar, but a shared space where imagination, policy, and purpose met.
Held on October 27–28, 2025, at the Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo, the two-day activity was organized by the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office VI (CHEDRO VI) in partnership with the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST), the prime training-workshop discussant and facilitator. It aimed to guide HEIs in building and institutionalizing Creative Works Offices and frameworks that promote creativity as a pillar of academic excellence.
Participant feedback was predominantly favorable. The workshop was characterized as exemplary in every regard, receiving commendation for its integration of substantial subject with a casual, engaging dynamic. Many remarked that it was distinguished by its “well-organized, practical, and inspiring” nature—the type of training that remains beneficial long after its conclusion.
“The subject is highly pertinent and opportune,” one participant noted. One participant said that the workshops were “beneficial in establishing our university’s creative work office,” while others emphasized that the discussions “stimulated ideas on policy integration and inter-campus collaboration.”
Several participants, although acknowledging the efficient arrangement, proposed extended sessions and additional time for practical workshops, underscoring the necessity for subsequent conversations centered on innovation, documentation, and networking across higher education institutions.
Participants characterized the encounter as “inspiring” and “motivating,” beyond just numerical data. Many expressed that the event highlighted the necessity of creativity beyond art studios and literary classes, extending into research, governance, and community engagement.
In the end, the feedback reflected a unified call: to continue what CHED and ISUFST have started—a collective inter-HEIs movement to make creativity not an afterthought but an essential force in higher education. (PAMMCO | UCWO)
The signing capped the two-day “Creating the Creatives: Global Pathways Seminar-Workshop on Pioneering Creative Works Anchored on the SDGs for Internationalization,” organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and co-hosted by the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST).
Across two days, the seminar came alive with ideas, artistry, and collaboration. On Day 1, CHEDRO VI Director Raul Alvarez Jr. called for creative leadership in education, followed by ISUFST President Dr. Nordy Siason Jr., who urged schools to turn imagination into innovation. UPV’s Prof. Martin Genodepa deepened the discourse, affirming that creativity belongs at the heart of academic excellence. Sessions led by Dr. Edmer Bernardo on creative mandates, Prof. Michele Celeste on policy practice, Dr. Herman Lagon on creative governance, Ms. Marianne Bebit on intellectual property, and Dr. Rex Paulino on quality and assessment built the event’s foundation. Workshops followed after the talks of Lagon and Paulino, while poetry, photography, and music performances from ISUFST faculty added soul, transforming discussions into a celebration of imagination in motion.
Day 2 turned inspiration into action. Dr. Stephen Jinon advanced the conversation on SDG-driven creativity coupled with a roadmap workshop, while Prof. Noel Galon De Leon of Kasingkasing Press called on HEIs to make publishing a form of cultural renewal. Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla of WVSU later shared a heartfelt reflection on how creativity and research intertwined across sessions, followed by the symbolic signing of the manifesto—a collective promise to place creativity at the center of learning, governance, and growth.
Titled “Building the Blueprint for Creative Works Excellence in Higher Education Institutions,” the pledge commits HEIs to champion innovation, integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promote internationalization, uphold creative standards, share best practices, and empower the next generation of creators.
As representatives from across Panay, Negros, Guimaras, and Siquijor took turns signing the document, the hall fell silent—a collective pause before the applause.
“This is more than a signing. It’s a declaration that higher education will no longer treat creativity as a side note,” said CHEDRO VI Director Raul C. Alvarez Jr. “Creativity must be at the core of excellence, equity, and innovation.”
ISUFST President Dr. Nordy D. Siason Jr. called the pledge “a creative covenant.”
“Creativity is not decoration—it is direction, conviction, and collaboration,” he said. “What we signed today is more than a document; it is a dream stitched together by imagination and shared purpose. We are deeply grateful to CHED Region VI for believing in ISUFST’s creative works initiative and for helping us prove that creativity, guided by vision and heart, can move institutions toward genuine transformation.”
Dr. Danebeth Narzoles, CHEDRO VI Chief Education Program Specialist, closed the program by lauding the collaboration.
“The HEIs of Regions VI and XVIII have shown that creativity thrives when shared. This manifesto will serve as our compass as we build globally competitive yet locally rooted institutions.”
The two-day gathering transformed what began as a workshop into a movement. Panels turned into pledges, lectures into partnerships, and ideas into concrete roadmaps for creative excellence. When the closing photo was taken—rows of educators smiling as one Visayas—it captured not just success, but solidarity.
As participants departed, the words of Prof. Martin Genodepa lingered: “Creative work is central to academic excellence so that creativity can flourish at the very heart of our universities.”
For ISUFST, CHED, and every institution that signed the pledge, that heart now beats stronger—in every artwork, policy, and classroom born from the courage to create. (Photos by Leo Paparon and Benjamin Cornelio Jr. | Text by Herman M. Lagon | UCWO | PAMMCO)
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