-Writers: Beca May P. Palitayan, Michael T. Sebullen
On May 19, 2026, representatives from various higher education institutions and partner agencies convened at the Admirals Park Event Center for the successful conduct of the AMIANAN Consortium Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signing Ceremony. Fourteen (14) universities joined in the event that served as a significant step toward strengthening academic collaboration, institutional partnership, and regional cooperation among participating institutions.
Region 1 universities were DMMMSU in Bacnotan, La Union; Union Christian College in the City of San Fernando; Lorma Colleges in the City of San Fernando; Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College in Candon City; University of Northern Philippines in Vigan City; Panpacific University in Urdaneta City; Pangasinan Polytechnic College in Lingayen, Pangasinan; and Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City.
Region 2 was represented by Saint Mary’s University from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) universities were Cordillera College (Host Institution) in La Trinidad; Benguet State University in La Trinidad; Baguio Central University in Baguio City; Divine Word College of Bangued in Abra; and the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City.
The program formally commenced with the registration of participants followed by the preliminaries which included the doxology, national anthem, welcome presentation, and opening remarks.
The event highlighted the rationale of the AMIANAN Consortium, emphasizing its objectives in fostering academic excellence, research collaboration, extension services, and institutional networking among member institutions for the sake of the Indigenous knowledge and communities.
In addition, the Lam-ang Institute, operating as the DMMMSU Indigenous and Social Science Research Center (ISSRRC), is a specialized research center within the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University. Under the direction of Mr. Farland D. Valera, the institute focuses primarily on Indigenous and Social Science research, with a recent major event being its organization of the 2nd Aspulan Symposium in October 2024, which centered on these fields.
As a direct continuation of the discussions and agreements reached during the 4th Meeting of the Amianan Network of Research Centers and Higher Education Institutions held last March 9, 2026, at Baguio Central University, the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Amianan Consortium was successfully conducted today. The March meeting laid the groundwork by finalizing the consortium’s structure—including the establishment of an Executive Committee and working committees—and setting its core objectives of promoting interdisciplinary scholarship, capacity building, and publication opportunities without membership fees. Building on this foundation, today’s MOA signing formally operationalizes the consortium, with the DMMMSU-Lam-ang Institute under Director Farland D. Valera reaffirming its commitment as one of the key participating institutions. Overall, the event was successfully conducted and is expected to contribute significantly to the advancement of research initiatives, and cooperative partnerships among member institutions.
The activity was attended by University Presidents, Chancellor, institutional leaders, administrators, faculty representatives, and invited guests, including officials from the Commission on Higher Education – Cordillera Administrative Region (CHED-CAR). The presence and participation of the attendees contributed to the successful realization of the program’s objectives and strengthened inter-institutional relationships within the region.
The AMIANAN Consortium MOU Signing concluded with a business meeting and election of officers, laying the groundwork for future collaborative projects, academic engagements, and consortium activities.
Consortium Officers were elected during the AMIANAN CONSORTIUM.
Photo contributors: Michael T Sebullen, Beca May P Palitayan