The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines concluded the first International Research Conference with the theme “Transforming Catholic Education through Research and Innovation last February 17-18, 2025, at Saint Louis University, Baguio City.
The Conference gathers around 200 researchers, teachers, scholars, school administrators, and graduate school students from 17 regions of the country to present their studies and explore the Catholic way of transformative education.
The research conference serves as an avenue of revisiting the mission of the Catholic community in serving its schools, educators, administrators, and students. It also guides the 66 researchers who presented their studies either in oral or poster. The programme started with a Eucharistic Mass presided by Msgr. Manuel S. Bravo, Jr. in which he emphasized that trust in God's plan as the cornerstone of our Catholic faith.
Speakers who are from International and Local organizations set the tone of the program during the first day and second day. The Keynote Speaker, Arfiansyah, Researcher at the International Center for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies, mentored about the methods of transforming research outputs to the community. The three Plenary Speakers who discussed the sub themes of the Conference are: FX Ouda Teda Ena, English Lecturer at Sanata Dharma University highlighted the importance of collaboration in doing research for policy making; Dr. Mary Pauline E. Namoca, Dean of the School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts at Saint Louis University enumerated the challenges in Catholic education, with the Catholic lens of being missionaries, solutions can be coursed through easily; Ms. Krupskaya M. Añonuevo, Chief Technical Specialist of EDCOM 2, encouraged the delegates to be aware of their roles as educators about educational challenges of both Filipino students and teachers.
The Technical Working Committee of Saint Louis University under the leadership of Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM and Dr. Joselito Gutierrez served as the moderators, reactors, and panelists during the plenary sessions, whereas methodologies used in the research were carefully reviewed. Together with this team of experts, research and innovations in the Catholic education community are guaranteed to be responsive to the contemporary needs of the country’s education system. The CEAP extends its gratitude to the delegates, speakers, and partner-organizers of the 2025 International Research Conference.
The CEAP Research Committee headed by Dr. Richard R. Jugar of the University of San Carlos organized the conference. The members of the committee are from various Catholic academic institutions nationwide, namely;, Dr. Dennis V. Madrigal, Dr. Emma V. Sagarino, Dr. Dennis Prince Germano, and Dr. Elmer Bondoc, and ex officio members, Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ and Mr. Jose Allan I. Arellano. The National Office team is composed of Ms. Lalaine V. Romero and Mr. Harold King G. Rivera.
With the success of this Conference, the Committee is planning to continue its service to the Catholic school teachers and researchers through research writing workshops and research methodologies review to be facilitated in various islands of the country.