The College of Education of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture – Sipocot, in partnership with Naga College Foundation Graduate Studies, successfully rolled out Project HOPE (Holistic Outreach for Promoting Education) with its first component, Project BULIG (Building Unified Literacy Instruction for GIDA Learners).
Spearheaded by Dr. Darrel M. Ocampo, Dean of the College of Education at CBSUA-Sipocot, and Dr. Josephine Francia R. Villanueva, Dean of Graduate Studies at NCF, the initiative aimed to capacitate graduate students, in-service, and pre-service teachers in developing localized and culturally responsive instructional materials in reading, literature, and phonology—especially for learners in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs). The first leg took place at Aldezar Integrated School on August 22–24, 2025.
Resource speakers for the kickoff were Mr. Japhet Mari S. Garganera, who spoke on Lifelines of Literacy: Shaping Readers, Thinkers, and Speakers (principles of developing instructional materials in reading, grammar, and phonology), followed by Ms. Liaden N. Lopez, who delivered her talk on Principles of Contextualization: Localizing Instructional Materials for Early-Grade Learners.
Beyond the lectures, participants administered pre-tests in Reading, Phonology, and Grammar to Grades 4–6 learners, while Ms. Cheska Villafuerte, school nurse, conducted Body Mass Index assessments, reminding everyone that health is equally important as learning. In his message, Dr. Darrel M. Ocampo, Dean of the College of Education of CBSUA-Sipocot highlighted: “Project HOPE is essential in improving literacy among GIDA learners as it provides targeted, community-specific interventions that address their unique challenges. By fostering early reading skills and promoting a love for learning, it helps bridge educational gaps and empowers learners for a better future.”
To sustain the momentum, the program continued through an online seminar-workshop via Google Meet on September 5–6, 2025. This phase featured Sir Bong B. Siguenza Jr., who shared his expertise on Rules and Principles in Online Storytelling, emphasizing that storytelling is a powerful literacy tool that reminds teachers of their mission: “Para sa Bata, Para sa Bayan.” Complementing this, Ma’am Mercy L. Almonte, CBSUA-Sipocot faculty and poet, discussed Designing Digital Instructional Materials for Children, offering practical guides in crafting child-friendly IMs and sharing innovations from her own research, including the Noli-Legend offline application.
On September 6, the program also showcased the Demonstration Teaching of CBSUA pre-service teachers. This activity served as the application of the topics previously presented, highlighting their integration into authentic classroom use. Serving as panel evaluators were Prof. Emelda M. Ablao, Prof. Mercy M. Almonte, and Dr. Grace L. Negrete of CBSUA-Sipocot, who provided constructive feedback and professional guidance to the presenters.
Both the onsite and online activities reflected the unified spirit of bulig—a Bikolano word for help—anchored in the belief that no learner should be left behind. With the collaboration of CBSUA-Sipocot, NCF Graduate Studies, and Aldezar Integrated School, Project BULIG not only empowered educators but also reaffirmed that teachers are the ultimate hope of learners, igniting brighter futures even in the farthest schools. 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘚𝘪𝘳 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢, 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘉𝘚𝘜𝘈-𝘚𝘪𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
