CEBU, 29 August 2025 – The Cebu Technological University (CTU) of the Philippines, in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, hosted the Grantsmanship for ASEAN Cooperation Projects: Strengthening Proposal Development, Result-Based Management (RBM), and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Seminar-Workshop for CTU faculty members from 26-28 August in Cebu City, the Philippines.
Dr. Joseph Cutab Pepito, the University President, opened the workshop by encouraging participants to learn from the insights shared by resource persons from the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), with the aim of strengthening their capacity to develop ASEAN cooperation project proposals that will help address issues in the ASEAN region. The University President further highlighted that the workshop presents an opportunity for the university’s faculty to secure international funding under the ASEAN framework for their research initiatives, building on the support the university has previously received from local and national sources, and to foster collaboration with other universities in the region.
A total of 45 faculty members from the university’s various campuses across the province of Cebu participated in the three-day training. Through a combination of presentations, exercises, group work, and interactive discussions, the training offered a comprehensive learning experience. Participants were trained by the technical experts from the ASEC to develop regional project proposals and manage ASEAN cooperation projects using an RBM approach and MEL tools.
At the end of the training, participants developed and presented seven draft regional project proposals, namely: (1) Building Climate-Resilient ASEAN Communities through Farmer Awareness and Sustainable Practices; (2) Building a Secure and Literate ASEAN Region; (3) Strengthening Integrated Water Governance in ASEAN’s Critical Watersheds; (4) ASEAN as a Regional Champion in Climate-Smart Watershed Governance, Advancing Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Food Security; (5) Increasing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Climate Change for Enhanced Environmental Sustainability; (6) Towards Urban Flood Resilience: Metro Cebu’s Role in ASEAN Disaster Risk Reduction; and (7) Cooperative Framework for Human Resource Capacity for Regional Surveillance on Microplastic Risks in Aquaculture Across ASEAN Member States.
Furthermore, ASEC encouraged participants to further refine their proposal drafts and submit them for review and consideration.
The training concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Pet Roey L. Pascual, Vice President for Research and Development, who conveyed the university’s gratitude to the ASEAN Secretariat for the collaboration. He noted that the university will follow up by refining and submitting potential project proposals arising from the workshop, as well as making the necessary internal preparations for the possible implementation of research projects under the ASEAN cooperation framework.
Photo credit: The Cebu Technological University (CTU) of the Philippines
