By Cyrus A. Natividad

Some Faculty and Staff members strike a pose during the first virtual conference held on Wednesday, November 4.

This year’s Faculty and Staff Conference was held on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 via Cisco Webex. The online conference started at 8:00 AM with 12 panelists- University President Dr. Teodoro C. Robles, VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Irving Domingo L. Rio, VP for Finance and Administration Dr. Florence P. Bogacia, VP for Student Affairs Dr. Esther Rose Romarate, and Human Resource Development Director Mr. Rodel Palomar among others.

Rev. Cris Amorsolo V. Sian UC Senior Pastor led the devotional with a message of thanksgiving. He reminded the faculty and staff to be grateful and count the blessings of the Lord at all times. He cited references from the Bible especially from the book of Jeremiah.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Teodoro C. Robles, University President emphasized the need of resources for the University. He recalled the difficulties that the University had suffered and how the administration made sure that the employees are better than those without work. He said, “I hope that this is a wake-up call, and that we can learn from this experience.” He added that, “We do not know how long this pandemic is going to end and what is its impact on our life.” The President assured everyone that CPU will do everything to take care of its employees.

Dr. Rio acknowledged that “This is a very challenging school year, with the gigantic challenge to Philippine Education; a sudden shift from face-to-face to the new normal.” He said that” Adapting to the new normal is a difficult process.” He thanked those who contributed much in the transition and said that “We have safely transitioned to the new learning management system.” Rio cited what the Commission on Higher Education said about Central Philippine University being “one of the first universities who has taken a massive training in three Learning Management Systems (LMS).”

Dr. Bogacia updated the faculty and staff on compensation and benefits, particularly on Insurance. She also enlightened everyone regarding the students’ accident insurance. Bogacia reiterated that “our work and operation in the University are still very much anchored on the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The message of Dr. Esther Rose Romarate, VP for Student Affairs followed. She encouraged the faculty and staff to “preserve the unity which allowed us to continue on with the University operation”, referring to the verse in 1 Corinthians 12: 26, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

The guest speaker, May Ann I. Soliva-Sta. Lucia, MD, MMIT, is the Unit Head of Health Emergency Management of the Department of Health, Western Visayas Center for Health Development. Sta. Lucia, who is an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins College of Medical Science, talked about Mental Health. Sta. Lucia gave insights and measures on how to maintain a healthy mental health especially in our current situation brought about by the pandemic.

After the lecture, the panelists allowed questions from attendees. The Q&A is mostly related to the present concerns of teachers in the Learning Management System and the need to evaluate it. Dr. Rio reiterated that the university will evaluate the effectiveness of the platforms. The online platforms used in CPU are Schoology for the Elementary and Kindergarten, Genyo for Junior High School, and Canvas for Senior High School and the Tertiary Levels.

The conference wound up at around 11:30 A.M. after Dr. Robles made his closing remarks.