In a significant move to advance the landscape of Philippine teacher education, the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (XU), and the City College of Cagayan de Oro (CCCDO) have officially entered into a collaborative agreement. This tripartite high-impact research partnership under the Research Initiatives in Teacher Education (RITE) Year 2, a project funded by the Teacher Education Council (TEC), brings together three pillars of academic excellence: UST, acting as the managing partner; Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, a premier Jesuit institution; and the City College of Cagayan de Oro, the city’s rapidly growing local college.

A ceremonial signing was held at Xavier University Office of the President with XU President Fr Mars P Tan, SJ, CCCDO President Dr Jestoni P Babia, and witnessed by the Dean of the XU School of Education Dr Edralin C Manla.

Present during the ceremonial MoA signing were (from Left to right Standing): XU SOE Graduate Studies and IDEA
Program Director Dr Charity Rose Pagara; CCCDO VP for Academic Affairs Dr Helmae Tapanan; CCCDO VP for
Extension and Social Development Dr Ray Butch Mahinay; CCCDO VP for Administration and Finance Dr Kurt Candilas;
and CCCDO VP for Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer Dr Joel Potane.

This collaboration specifically targets two critical areas of study designed to provide empirical data for national policy-making. The first project, "Mentorship That Matters," explores predictive modeling for mentoring pre-service teachers across the Visayas and Mindanao regions. The second initiative, "Mainstreaming Indigenous and Contextualized Pedagogies," is a policy-based study aligned with RA 11713, aimed at integrating local cultural wisdom into teacher training. Both projects emphasize the importance of ensuring that future Filipino educators are not only technically proficient but also deeply connected to the diverse cultural contexts of their students.

The partnership also highlights a strong commitment to local faculty development, as a combined team of seventeen researchers from XU and CCCDO will lead the implementation of these studies. By empowering regional educators to take the helm of national research, the agreement fosters a more inclusive and robust research culture in the south. As these projects move forward through September 2026, the combined efforts of these institutions are expected to produce vital insights that will shape the future of the teaching profession in the Philippines.