SPCF College of Nursing Eyes on Aeta Development

The SPCF College of Nursing (CoN) made some significant moves to forge partnerships with non-government organizations (NGOs) in its aim to help some Pinatubo Aeta communities in the Province of Pampanga. The CoN Dean, Dr. Rolando J. Talag and the HRD Director, Atty. Robert John I. Donesa, together with three nursing student leaders attended a day-long orientation seminar on “Working with Indigenous Peoples” last March 24, 2007 at the Henson Ancestral Home, Angeles City.

The said orientation activity is aimed at giving a broad picture of the present state of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the Philippines, in general, and of the Pinatubo Aetas in particular. It also aimed at preparing the development workers for the challenges in working with the IPs. The said activity was sponsored by Sibul Ning Aeta Foundation, Inc. in cooperation with the Ecumenical Commission for Indigenous Peoples and the UST Office for Community Development.

Preliminary talks have been made between the SPCF CoN, Sibul Ning Aeta Foundation, Inc. and the Rotary Club of Metro Subic for the possible participation of the CoN on the existing projects of said NGOs in the Aeta communities in Pampanga. The CoN is particularly interested in joining medical missions and other health programs. Such participation will be incorporated to the CoN’s Community Extension Service. Talks about the possible scholarships of some Aeta students in some of SPCF programs are also commenced. Surely, this is a good start for a long and fruitful relationship among the above-mentioned institutions.

SPCF College of Information Technology Education hailed as CHED Center of Development

SPCF affirmed its position as one of the best IT schools in the country when CHED hailed it as a Center for Development (COD) in IT Education in an awarding ceremony held last March 23, 2007 at the Bayview Park Hotel, Manila. The said ceremonies was well-attended by Heads of Higher Education Institutions and Deans of IT programs from all over the country. Our school received a CHED COD marker and project financial backing of PhP 1 million for a period of three years. The school was represented by Mrs. Lourdes R. Bustamante, SPCF president, Prof. Grace Fabros-Tyler, Dean, College of Information Technology Education and Prof. Jayme Galang, Head, IT Research Center.

As a COD, SPCF becomes a center of Graduate Education and research in Information Technology. SPCF is expected to take the lead in strengthening the programs of other non-CODs in the region. Only forty from the hundreds  IT schools in the country were declared as IT COD/COE. The SPCF College of Information Technology Education is now buckled up to become the Center of Excellence in the next batch of CHED COE/COD project.

Although this may have been said a hundred times, still, Congratulations to men and women behind SPCF CITE!!! It was a job well-done. Go for glory SPCF!

Region III HEI’s Shine in the 3rd SWEEP Innovations and Excellence Awards

The SPCF winning team (right) headed by Dean  Reylen Garcia

Two Higher Education Institutions from Region III, the Bulacan State University (BSU) and Systems Plus College Foundation (SPCF) bagged the 1st and 2nd places, respectively, at the recently concluded 3rd Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) Innovation and Excellence Awards. This award is an annual nationwide search for the most innovative wireless applications designed by student-faculty teams.

With the theme of “Safety Through Connectivity, ” this year’s competition held last March 9 and 10, 2007 at the Mall of Asia, Pasay City reaped 58 innovations from all over the country. These projects showcased mobile solutions designed to make life better and safer through secure and reliable machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless communication systems.

Bulacan State University’s entry “Smart PhoneGuard,” a wireless application against phone theft, bested all the 57 other entries. When the phone is stolen, this innovation allows phone signals to be blocked even if the SIM card has been changed. It also automatically locks the inbox and memory card of the phone to protect the owner’s files.

“SMARTHOUSE,” from Systems Plus College Foundation, Angeles City, bagged the competition’s 2nd place. This innovation protects the homeowners from illegal intrusion by automatically activating the alarm and the mobile phone connected to a microcontroller device. It also automatically informs the owner and the police authorities of such intrusion through text messages. Ateneo de Davao University’s “Vehicle Emergency Locator” placed 3rd.

The SMARTHOUSE

BSU, the grand champion, brought home one million pesos in cash and grants, SPCF brought home six hundred thousand pesos while AdDU, three hundred thousand pesos also in cash and grants. The contest, now on its third year, is a project of the nation’s leading wireless services provider, Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART).