CLARK FREEPORT— If Philippine industry is to keep pace with fast‑moving technology, it is not enough to train students alone. Teachers must also learn from the factory floor.
This, in essence, is the thinking behind the Clark Development Corporation’s (CDC) decision to expand its memorandum of agreement with Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), allowing engineering faculty members, not just students, to undergo industry immersion with companies operating in the Clark Freeport.
The expanded agreement falls under CDC’s Town and Gown Program, a long‑running initiative that links the academe with industry by deploying students for on‑the‑job training in CDC and its locators. The latest amendment marks a shift in emphasis: faculty members are now formally included, signaling a recognition that teachers shape the quality of the future workforce.
CDC President and CEO Agnes VST Devanadera said education must move in step with industry growth if the country is to build sustainable careers and competitive skills.
“The objective of the Town and Gown Program is to make sure that education runs in tandem with the growth of the industry,” Atty. Devanadera said during the signing ceremony on February 24 at the Clark Visitors Center.
“The academe must really be part of the industrial sector,” the CDC chief added.
Under the amended agreement, selected faculty members from the SLSU College of Engineering will join their students in a two‑week immersion program with Clark‑based locators, giving them first‑hand exposure to current engineering processes, technology, and workplace standards.
The partnership goes further. Participating companies will also be invited to sit on the SLSU College of Engineering’s industry advisory board, an arrangement that gives industry a voice in curriculum development while giving schools a clearer view of real‑world skills requirements.
For CDC Vice President for Administration and Finance Group Jose Miguel de la Rosa, the logic is straightforward: industries endure only if people are developed.
“We believe in capital investment in people,” de la Rosa said. “When we start connecting with potential leaders and professionals, we sustain industries.”
Joining them from CDC are officers from the Human Resources Division led by Rachelle Yusi, DPA; Special Assistant to the President and CEO Ma. Zoraida Camello; Architect III Floyd Dizon; and Building and Facilities Permits Division (BFPD) Manager Engr. Leoncio Tan. Also present are Assistant Vice President for External Affairs Rommel Narciso, Assistant Vice President for Administration Atty. Bonifacio Tarenio Jr., Corporate Social Responsibility and Placement Division Manager Maricris Gepte, Tourism Officer, and other CDC officers and personnel.
They are joined by industry partners SMK Electronics (Phils.) Corp. General Affairs and HR Deputy Manager Reny Boy Namalata, Yokohama Tires Philippines Inc. HR Supervisor Aimee Gonzales, Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc. Vice President for Administration Division Angelina Casasola, and We Lively Inc. Human Resources Manager Bon Yumul. (CDC Photo)
From the academic side, Ma. Corazon Abejo, dean of SLSU’s College of Engineering, welcomed the expanded partnership, saying it strengthens faculty capability and supports accreditation efforts.
“We are capitalizing on our graduates, our future workforce for the industry,” Abejo said. “We believe that good teachers can produce good students.”
The Town and Gown Program now counts 28 partner institutions nationwide, reflecting CDC’s broader strategy of building a steady talent pipeline that links education, industry, and regional development.
Also present at the signing were; Atty. Bonifacio Tarenio Jr., Assistant Vice President for Administration; Rommel Narciso, Assistant Vice President for External Affairs; Ma. Zoraida Camello, Special Assistant to the President and CEO; Rachelle Yusi, Human Resources Division Manager; Maricris Gepte, Corporate Social Responsibility and Placement Division Manager; and Engr. Leoncio Tan, Building and Facilities Permits Division Manager.
