By Centralian Link

Students and faculty members of Convention Baptist Bible College (CBBC), together with CPU President Rev. Dr. Ernest Howard B. Dagohoy and CBBC President Rev. Ivan Mars M. Cabillete, gather following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 22, 2026, at the CBBC Chapel in Bacolod City.

Central Philippine University (CPU) and Convention Baptist Bible College (CBBC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday at the CBBC Chapel in Bakyas, Mansilingan, Bacolod City, formalizing a partnership between two institutions rooted in the same Baptist heritage.

CPU President Rev. Dr. Ernest Howard B. Dagohoy and CBBC President Rev. Ivan Mars M. Cabillete signed the agreement during a short program. Both institutions are affiliated with the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches.

Rev. Dr. Armando S. Kole, a member of the CPU Board of Trustees, signed as witness for CPU in place of Prof. Lesley Joy L. Dignadice, Director of the Local and International Linkages and Affiliations Center. CBBC Academic Dean Rev. Lennie Ruth L. Sombilla witnessed for the Bible College.

Rev. Cabillete called the agreement historic. Dr. Dagohoy, in his message, said that CPU is being true to its vision by extending help to the Bible College, and he emphasized that the two institutions share a common heritage of faith.

Under the MOU, the two institutions will make reasonable efforts to promote the following:

• student exchange and mobility programs
• faculty and researcher exchange
• sharing of academic information and publications
• joint research, projects, and community outreach
• joint organization of international research conferences
• credit transfer, joint, and articulation programs
• visiting professors and lecturers
• team teaching
• other academic and cultural exchanges agreed upon by both parties
• joint service to local Baptist churches through pastoral training, discipleship programs, and community ministries
• collaboration in theological curriculum development and joint publication projects

The agreement states that the implementation of each exchange will be negotiated separately. It also affirms that neither institution’s autonomy is diminished, and that neither party imposes any constraint or financial obligation on the other.

The MOU takes effect upon signing and remains in force for five years. Any revision or renewal requires mutual consent. Either institution may terminate the agreement, but only after mutual consultation to avoid inconvenience to both parties.

The partnership also carries a long history of personal ties. Several Centralians have led CBBC in recent years, among them Rev. Joniel Howard H. Gico, Mrs. Josette G. Jalando-on, Rev. Dr. Armando S. Kole, and Rev. Amsil P. Alubog. The current president, Rev. Cabillete, was recently recognized by the CPU Alumni Association, Inc. (CPUAAI) as a Centralian serving in higher education institutions.

As a milestone of the growing partnership, Cabillete presented to Dagohoy a copy of Living as Learners of Christ: Sermons Through Seasons of Faith, a publication of the Center for Research, Ecumenical Endeavors, Evangelization and Development (CREED) of CBBC. The book is authored by fellow Centralians Rev. Dr. Nestor D. Bunda, Rev. Dr. Jerson B. Narciso, and Rev. Dr. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on, who witnessed the presentation.