May 22, 2026 – More than 70 presidents and vice presidents of Catholic higher education institutions representing 40 member-schools across the Philippines convened at the Fr. Theophile Verbist Hall, Saint Louis University, Baguio City, for the CEAP Vision Forum 2026: An Assembly of CEAP Higher Education Institution Leaders- Barriers and Breakthroughs: Pushing Back Against the Limits. The gathering served as a moment of ecclesial and institutional discernment, an intentional pause to interrogate the present realities of Philippine higher education and to collectively imagine more faithful, responsive, and future-oriented pathways.
Present at the forum were CEAP President and Ateneo de Davao University President Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ; CEAP National Higher Education Commission (NHEC) Chairperson, CAR Trustee, and Saint Louis University President Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM; CEAP Executive Director Mr. Narcy F. Ador Dionisio; and the members of the NHEC, namely Br. Manuel V. de Leon, FMS, CEAP Trustee-at-Large and President of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University; Rev. Fr. Jose Gualberto I. Villasis, President of Aklan Catholic College; Rev. Fr. Ronniel G. Babano, STL, President of Saint Michael College of Caraga; and Mr. Leopoldo Jaime N. Valdes, President of Holy Angel University. The forum was further enriched by distinguished guests and thought leaders from the education and policy sectors whose insights helped situate Philippine higher education within broader national and global transformations.
The forum formally opened with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass presided over by Most Rev. Rafael T. Cruz, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Baguio, an invocation that grounded the entire assembly in prayer, discernment, and mission. This was followed by the Welcome Remarks of Fr. Sales and the messages of Fr. San Juan and Mr. Dionisio, each underscoring a shared conviction: that Catholic higher education must neither retreat in the face of disruption nor merely adapt defensively, but must lead with clarity of mission, intellectual rigor, and pastoral imagination.
Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ emphasized that Catholic Higher Education Institutions are called to engage the ongoing reforms and pressing concerns within Philippine education with both urgency and fidelity- urgency, in responding to present systemic challenges; fidelity, in remaining anchored to the enduring mission of integral human formation. He urged institutions to deepen collaboration in strengthening academic quality, fostering innovation, and sustaining ethical leadership, so that Catholic education may remain not only relevant but prophetically responsive to the needs of Filipino learners and society.
Mr. Narcy F. Ador Dionisio, in going through the rationale and objectives, articulated the forum as a space of collective discernment where leaders are invited to name the tensions of the present honestly, and to translate these tensions into mission-driven, strategic action. He emphasized CEAP’s intent to harmonize policy engagement, institutional practice, and Catholic identity, while cultivating stronger collaboration among HEIs in addressing questions of quality, relevance, sustainability, and holistic human formation.
The keynote address delivered by Hon. Jude A. Acidre, Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education and Co-Chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), provided a compelling framework for reimagining Philippine higher education through three interdependent pillars: Formation, Communion, and Innovation. Formation was presented as the holistic cultivation of the human person, where intellectual excellence is inseparable from moral depth and social responsibility. Communion was articulated within the spirit of synodality, envisioning education as a shared ecclesial and national ecosystem working together for the common good. Innovation, finally, was framed as a courageous openness to transformation, particularly through emerging technologies and evolving pedagogies, without losing sight of ethical grounding. Taken together, these pillars constitute a coherent moral and strategic horizon for educational reform.
Atty. Joseph Noel M. Estrada, Legal Counsel of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA), underscored the imperative for the council to serve as a prophetic voice amid competing narratives- defending the sustainability, academic freedom, and constitutional role of private higher education institutions in the face of economic constraints and policy pressures. He cautioned against blanket regulatory approaches, including indiscriminate tuition increase restrictions and expanded state intervention, arguing that such measures risk undermining institutional autonomy, faculty welfare, educational quality, and the constitutional principle of educational complementarity.
The roundtable discussions deepened this reflection by surfacing both enabling practices and structural constraints within higher education. Mr. Leopoldo Jaime N. Valdes, President of Holy Angel University of Angeles City, delivered a reflective talk on “What Works and What Does Not Work: Examining Practices that Fail the Vision,” highlighting as effective practices outcomes-based education, strong industry linkages, continuous professional development, robust quality assurance systems, and data-informed decision-making. Conversely, he identified counterproductive tendencies such as overemphasis on quantitative compliance, outdated academic programs, superficial curricular revisions, minimal regulatory compliance, and the absence of meaningful feedback mechanisms. He emphasized that beyond systems and structures, it is intentionality- clear, purposive, and mission-aligned decision-making that ultimately determines institutional transformation.
Dr. John Octavious S. Palina, President of St. Mary’s University of Bayombong, in his presentation entitled “Designing the Way Forward Through High-Impact Systems,” offered strategic pathways for addressing systemic challenges in higher education, drawing from the experience of Saint Mary’s University. He emphasized that sustainable transformation must be oriented toward the common good, integrating social, environmental, and economic dimensions of development. Internationalization was highlighted as a critical lever for building resilient, globally responsive, and locally grounded higher education systems.
Following these presentations, participants engaged in collective reflection and synthesis, articulating shared challenges and priorities. Notre Dame of Dadiangas University President Br. Manuel V. de Leon, FMS, subsequently presented the consolidated outputs, identifying key systemic concerns: curricular rigidity and compliance-driven cultures, misaligned faculty
incentives and recruitment challenges, weak industry integration, academic isolation, tensions between program viability and institutional mission, curriculum irrelevance, lack of technological agility, weaknesses in quality assurance systems, and administrative overload.
From these, the leaders collectively identified institutional priorities that demand urgent and sustained attention: curriculum-industry alignment, technological responsiveness, instructional and faculty development, program relevance, strengthened quality assurance data systems, and streamlined governance structures.
Finally, participants articulated the forms of support necessary to advance Catholic higher education institutions as high-impact and mission-driven systems. These include:
(a) CEAP, through strengthened consortia, strategic alignment, and mission-driven collective advocacy;
(b) CHED, through a more consultative and partnership-oriented regulatory posture that respects academic freedom and reinforces public-private complementarity;
(c) Government, through coherent long-term educational visioning, timely fiscal support, inclusive policy processes, and equitable subsidies comparable to those of State Universities and Colleges; and
(d) Other stakeholders, including the Church, alumni networks, and industry partners, through sustained spiritual accompaniment, strategic investment, and robust pathways for graduate employability.
The closing messages of Fr. Sales and Fr. Villasis reaffirmed CEAP’s enduring commitment to collaboration, innovation, academic integrity, and mission-centered leadership. The Vision Forum thus stood as more than a policy dialogue; it was a collective act of hope and responsibility-affirming that Catholic higher education, when rooted in faith and animated by mission, can continue to shape not only competent graduates, but conscientious builders of society and stewards of the common good.
