by Michael T. Sebullen, CRS, PhD
Cherrie Mae M. Manuel, CRS, DBA
ATOK, BENGUET — In parallel with the CUBE Partnership’s Mobile Extension health mission, Baguio Central University (BCU) deployed a dedicated research team to Barangays Cattubo and Paoay to conduct strategic barangay coordination and community profiling, reinforcing the University’s commitment to research-driven, sustainable community development.
This initiative formed part of a broader community needs analysis designed to generate baseline data and contextual insights that will guide future extension, research, and development programs under the CUBE Mobile Extension (ME) Partnership. The activity was not a stand-alone engagement but a deliberate, planned undertaking enclosed within the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the four partner institutions—Cordillera Career Development College, University of Baguio, Baguio Central University, and Easter College Inc.—together with Atok Mayor Franklin Smith on September 12, 2025. The MOA formally established the framework for collaborative, long-term, and sustainable community engagement initiatives in Atok, Benguet for three years.
The barangay profiling activity was spearheaded by the Director for Research, Dr. Michael Tomas Sebullen, in collaboration with the College of Nursing and School of Midwifery Research Coordinator, Mr. Hilario A. Sanglay, and the College of Business Administration Dean and Research Coordinator, Dr. Cherrie Mae M. Manuel. The research team conducted coordination meetings and structured dialogues with barangay officials and key community representatives to discuss priority concerns, demographic profiles, health and social conditions, livelihood patterns, and existing community resources.
Central to the activity was the principle of participatory and evidence-based planning. By engaging barangay officials directly, the research team ensured that community voices and local governance perspectives were integrated into the data-gathering process. This approach enables the CUBE Partnership to move beyond short-term outreach activities toward strategic, data-informed interventions that are responsive to actual community needs and aligned with local development priorities.
University officials emphasized that the barangay profiling initiative reflects BCU’s integrated research–extension nexus, where community service is grounded in systematic inquiry and collaborative planning. The data generated from Barangays Cattubo and Paoay will serve as a critical reference for designing future C.U.B.E. M.E. programs in Atok, including health, livelihood, education, governance, and capacity-building initiatives that are targeted, scalable, and sustainable.
More importantly, the activity operationalizes the intent of the September 12, 2025 MOA by translating institutional commitments into concrete action at the barangay level. It affirms the shared vision of the partner institutions and the Local Government Unit of Atok to co-create development solutions with communities—ensuring continuity, accountability, and measurable impact.
Through this strategic barangay profiling, Baguio Central University once again demonstrated that meaningful extension work begins with listening, understanding, and planning with communities, positioning research as a vital tool in shaping inclusive and sustainable development outcomes for Atok, Benguet. The synchronized barangay profiling in Barangay Cattubo together with Barangay Paoay will commence on February 9 to 13, 2026 which will be participated by identified 36 student nurses and 3 clinical instructors and they will also be accompanied by the barangay kagawads, barangay tanods, barangay nutrition scholars and barangay health workers.
Based on the consultation meeting of the barangay captains and Sangguniang bayan last October 5, 2025 in Abiang Barangay Hall, these results of this community need analysis will be presented to Hon. Franklin Smith on the third week of March for a data-based driven and evidenced based decision making.