Xavier Science Foundation, Inc (XSF) mustered department chairpersons of the College of Agriculture (XUCA), mayors of the various municipalities of Northern Mindanao and Lanao del Sur, and representatives from line agencies for a consultation meeting seeking to further academe-LGU-NGA partnership.

The exploratory dialogue held at the XU Board Room on October 7 threshed out possible areas for collaboration between the academe, local government units (LGU), and national government agencies (NGA) to address specific concerns of the LGUs. The discussion revolved around tapping the potential of the municipalities especially in agriculture, coastal ecosystem, and eco-tourism to boost local revenue and uplift the socio-economic status of their communities.

Attending the affair were mayors of the municipalities of Alubijid, Initao, Medina, Opol, and vice mayor of Salay in Misamis Oriental; the municipal mayors of Dangcagan, Pangantucan, and Quezon, and the municipal planning and development coordinator of Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon; and the mayor of Wao, Lanao del Sur. Also present were representatives of the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit 10, the Department of Science and Technology Misamis Oriental, and heads of the Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Engineering, Food Technology, and Development Communication departments of XUCA.

Common among the needs of the municipalities are more investors to develop their local industries and natural attractions, and assistance in packaging proposals for funding agencies, resource management, and agriculture development planning.

With the capabilities of the sectors present in the consultation, the group identified upscaling of local industries, proposal preparation and packaging, setting up of a functional and sustainable Geographic Information System, and promotion of the municipality to investors and tourists as areas where the academe, LGUs and NGAs can come together.

The participants showed willingness to pursue opportunities identified during the consultation meeting, accentuated by their acceptance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines their commitment to collaborate. The municipal mayors indicated that they will present the MOU to their respective Sangguniang Bayan for ratification.

Another round of consultations with the municipal mayors, this time on specific collaborative projects, will be scheduled before the end of the year.

The consultation meeting formed part of XSF’s project on Bridging Partnerships for Sustainable Local Development. XSF is a support institution of Xavier University.