The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary has welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between seven Philippine universities dubbed as the “Magic 7” and one of Canada’s most prestigious educational institutions, the University of Saskatchewan (USask).
In a virtual ceremony held on May 19, 2021, Consul General Zaldy Patron expressed optimism that the cooperation between the Philippine universities and the USask will “go a long way and will be beneficial for all parties”.
Under the MOU, the parties will collaborate on several areas, including in the exchanges and internships for students, faculty, and staff, and in joint research and development projects.
The virtual signing ceremony coincided with the celebrations of the 27th Anniversary of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the 1st National Higher Education Day in the Philippines and was attended by CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera, Canadian Ambassador to Manila Peter MacArthur, Dr. Meghna Ramaswamy and Dr. Darcy Marciniuk of USask, and Consul General Patron.
USask is one of the top research-intensive, medical doctoral universities in Canada, and is home to world-leading research in areas of global importance such as water and food security and infectious diseases.
Its beautiful campus is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with a roster of alumni and faculty members that include Nobel Prize winners, Rhodes scholars, and Olympic athletes.
The Philippine universities that form part of the Magic 7 are Benguet State University; Central Luzon State University; Central Mindanao University; Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University; Mariano Marcos State University; Mountain Province State Polytechnic College; and University of Southeastern Philippines.
In his remarks during the signing, Patron recalled his meeting with USask President Peter Stoicheff when he visited the university campus in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in September 2019 to promote education cooperation between the Philippines and USask.
In January 2020, prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Consul General invited USask officials to visit the Philippines and coordinated their meetings with several government agencies, including CHED.
Those meetings in Saskatoon and the Philippines, according to Patron, “opened the doors of partnership and collaboration between USask and the Philippines”.