ILOILO CITY—Ten (10) planning and development officials from Northern Iloilo State University (NISU) benchmarked with the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) in a comprehensive learning exchange held at the Hasa-Hasa Theater of the Research and Development Building yesterday, August 18, 2025.
The activity featured presentations on ISUFST’s ISO process flows, five-year development plan, land use and infrastructure plan, ongoing campus-wide projects, and monitoring and evaluation systems, followed by a campus tour. The program aimed to share ISUFST’s practices in institutional planning, development, and governance with visiting administrators and staff from NISU.
During the campus tour, NISU Planning and Development Director Dr. Noe Dasig Jr. expressed his admiration for ISUFST’s rapid progress. “Kanagmi sang buildings kay may branding, kag nakibot gid kami how ISUFST did all these in just three years or so,” Dasig said, noting that their team was impressed by the scale and speed of transformation.
In his message, ISUFST President Dr. Nordy Siason Jr. highlighted the importance of collaboration between higher education institutions. “We believe that by sharing our journey—from ISO processes to campus planning—we can contribute to building a culture of excellence and accountability across state universities,” Siason said.
ISUFST Planning Director Dr. Edmer Bernardo underscored the role of benchmarking in improving institutional systems. “This exchange is not about competition, but about learning from each other so we can serve our stakeholders better and more efficiently,” Bernardo explained.
Dasig further noted that the benchmarking visit would help their team refine strategies in institutional planning by adopting effective practices observed at ISUFST.
Morning messages were delivered by ISUFST officials including Public Affairs, Marketing and Media Communications (PAMMCO) Director Dr. Herman Lagon, Quality Assurance and Management Center (QAMC) Director Dr. Christine Diocos, Planning Director Bernardo, Vice President for Administration and Finance Dr. Johnny Dolor, and Mr. Reil Jan Patosa on behalf of the president. President Siason gave his remarks later in the day, affirming ISUFST’s commitment to knowledge sharing and institutional linkages.
The session also included an open forum where participants from both universities discussed strategies for campus development and resource management. A campus video presentation and guided tour capped the event, giving NISU officials a closer look at ISUFST’s ongoing infrastructure and academic projects.
Founded in 1957, ISUFST is the country’s first and only fisheries university, recognized as a Center of Development in Fisheries and consistently ranked in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for its contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With its recent awards from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for excellence in internationalization, extension, and indigenous peoples education, the university continues to position itself as a model for innovation, sustainability, and community partnership.
The benchmarking visit strengthened academic ties between ISUFST and NISU, signaling future collaboration in planning, governance, and sustainable university development.
