Internationalization and Education in Bicol

On our way to Bicol University in Legazpi City for the Internationalization Forum titled EXPAND: Exploring Perspectives and Approaches for Navigating Development in Internationalization, organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Region V with the Bicol Foundation for Higher Educational Institutions (BFHE), my husband was in animated conversation with our school driver, Ramil. Their topic? A newly coined word making the rounds—abangers.

Recently popularized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), abangers playfully describe those who wait expectantly for “Walang Pasok” announcements whenever a typhoon or low-pressure area enters the country. The banter had started while listening to a DWNX-RMN radio program, where broadcasters argued that frequent class suspensions have worsened the learning crisis.

At first, it sounded like nothing more than Filipino humor. However, upon closer listening, I realized it revealed something deeper about how language, resilience, and shared experiences shape the way we navigate disruptions. Words like abangers capture the Filipino instinct to adapt to uncertainty—waiting for storms to pass, for announcements to be made, for life to return to normal after disruption. Critics, however, argue that the DILG may be trivializing the hardships caused by typhoons, which bring not just suspensions but also flooding, displacement, and economic loss. Others insist that suspension decisions are best left to local governments, who understand their communities. Either way, the abangers debate carried us all the way to the CHED forum—ironically, a fitting metaphor for the event’s theme.

In many ways, internationalization in higher education is similar. Like abangers, institutions often find themselves waiting, watching, and preparing—anticipating opportunities for collaboration, exchange, and growth across borders. The real challenge, however, is not to wait passively but to be ready: to turn uncertainty into resilience and anticipation into action. Internationalization calls on us—as educators, institutions, and communities—to be proactive: to seek partnerships, build capacities, and innovate curricula that equip our students for a borderless future. Just as we brace for storms while keeping daily life moving, so too must we embrace the winds of change in education while charting our own course.

The forum reflected CHED’s priority agenda on internationalization. In celebration of ASEAN Month, delegates came dressed in the national attire or cultural colors of ASEAN countries. My husband, a retired professor of International Affairs, and I sat near the entrance, joined by colleagues from Mariners Polytechnic Colleges/Foundation. Across from us sat Dr. Michael Clores, VPAA, and Director Leih Odono of Partido State University (PARSU), along with fellow educators from Sorsogon. They eagerly shared highlights from earlier sessions, noting how international engagements had transformed their institutions. Our three Mariners campuses sent delegates led by President Dr. Marilisa Ampuan.

For 2025 alone, PARSU reported forging 16 strategic partnerships with universities and colleges abroad—spanning marine science, social sciences, fisheries, technology, hospitality and tourism, and business management. These collaborations, anchored on SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 17 (partnerships), are being realized through student exchanges, joint research, and capacity-building programs. A private institution, the University of Nueva Caceres, represented by President Dr. Fay Lea Lauraya, shared its internationalization journey, beginning with a self-assessment of best practices, then building partnerships guided by core values, and investing in an Internationalization Office. She stressed that ASEAN networks are the region’s comparative advantage—and that institutions must act now, choosing the right partners to create prestige while ensuring local impact. “Bring the school close to the community,” she said, “address poverty, and create impact.” She reminded participants that global university rankings are no longer dominated by Western institutions, but are increasingly dominated by those in Asia. The future, she emphasized, depends on what we do now: documenting global activities, embedding them in curricula, and ensuring that internationalization translates into local transformation.

From the podium, CHED Regional Director Dr. Demetrio Anduyan, BU-BFHE President Benjie Nebres, and CHED Education Supervisor Dr. Karen Inigo reinforced the message. Atty. Lily Freida Macabangun-Milla, CHED NCR Director of International Affairs, keynoted the event, highlighting the wealth of knowledge SUCs already possess in going global across instruction, research, extension, and production. That same morning, CHED Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis was quoted in newspapers as saying that “Philippine education has sunk to its lowest point”—with the country ranking among the lowest globally and, sadly, the lowest in the ASEAN region. Sobering as this may sound, it underscores the urgency of moving beyond passive waiting to decisive action.

Even weather disruptions couldn’t stop the forum’s momentum. Dr. Roger Chao, Jr., Honorary Distinguished Professor of Kyungwoon University in South Korea and ASEAN Secretariat official, joined virtually. He outlined ASEAN’s strategies to align higher education with the Sustainable Development Goals: empowering educators, adopting transformative technologies, greening education, promoting research and innovation, and ensuring co-ownership of development goals. “Internationalization,” he stressed, “is key to positioning Philippine higher education in ASEAN and beyond. There can be no other way.”

The forum left one lingering question: Are Bicol’s higher educational institutions ready to embrace internationalization not as passive abangers but as active shapers of the future? The storms of disruption will always come—but so will the winds of opportunity. The choice is ours. Abangan.