The varsity athletes of the Visayas State University fared good in this year’s State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) Meet hosted by the Leyte Normal University (LNU) in Tacloban City held on October 21-26, 2013.

Anchored on the theme “Passion Fast Forward”, the 165 VSU athletes together with the 25 coaches and officials headed by Dr. Jose L. Bacusmo, VSU President, and Assoc. Prof. Vicente B. Antipaso, Sports Director, showed their might as they competed in various sporting events.

The athletes who garnered gold medals in their respective events include: Narciso Deterala – Athletics (3,000-meter run, 5,000-meter run, and 10,000-meter run); Romulo Perez – Athletics (triple jump); Gellie Ann Alcuino and Joel Estupa (Darling of the Crowd) – Dance Sports (Modern Standard) who also won special awards as Best in Modern Standard Costume, Best in Slow Walts, Best in Tango, and Best in Quick Step; Angelito Bocal – Swimming (200-meter breaststroke); and Krishna Mae Galenzoga, Unice Babes Maiz, Mary Lilibeth Peligrino, and Billy Jill Sello – Table Tennis women with Miss Christy Desades as coach;

Some 200 participants composed of researchers, academicians, local chief executives, representatives and dignitaries from various government and private organizations throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao convened on October 22-24, 2013 at the Visayas State University (VSU) for the National Conference on Development Initiatives in the Philippine Marginal Uplands.

Spearheaded by VSU in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under the project Philippine Higher Education Research Network (PHERNet), the three-day national conference sought to document the current state of knowledge of marginal uplands in the Philippines. Moreover, it aimed to synthesize the best management practices in organizing, managing, and sustaining initiatives related to improving farm productivity and environmental quality in climate change vulnerable upland communities; determine the factors that facilitate success and cause failure of upland development initiatives; identify gaps in upland development efforts in the Philippines; and identify strategies for improved cooperation and partnership in upland development initiatives.

The conference focused on the theme “Enhancing farm productivity and environmental quality of Philippine marginal uplands: A scan of the past and a look into the future.”