FEATURE-๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
Feb 9, 2026 - 1 minute read
February 5, 2026 Frengie Gandiongco-Botoy SEPS-Planning and Research SDO-Agusan del Norte ๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐, ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ...
February 5, 2026
Frengie Gandiongco-Botoy
SEPS-Planning and Research
SDO-Agusan del Norte
๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐
๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐, ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ-๐ฑ, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ (๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ) ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ.
๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
The presentation attracted researchers and planners eager for practical insights. Leading the discussion were Ezekiel R.H. Nicomedes, senior research specialist and project manager for the Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P), and Melinda T. Quiรฑones, manager of the institute's research information department and SERP-P project director. Their session emphasized that, amid limited resources, informed decision-making is essential to achieving equitable educational outcomes.
๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฃ-๐ฃ: ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ผ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ
Nicomedes began by directing participants to scan a QR code for SERP-P updates, highlighting the platform's role in democratizing access to knowledge. "Evidence is only useful if it's accessible," he stated, framing a dialogue that seamlessly connected theoretical concepts to real-world applications. Drawing on his background as a technology transfer specialist at the Department of Science and Technology, Nicomedes underscored PIDS's position as the government's leading socioeconomic policy think tank under the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), now (DepDev).
๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐
Quiรฑones on the other hand, leveraging her extensive experience in strategic communication and media and information literacy (MIL) advocacy, detailed her contributions from farmer policy engagements at the National Agricultural and Fishery Council to initiatives that empower teachers with critical thinking resources. She portrayed SERP-P as an essential repository, offering over 11,000 open-access publications on topics ranging from agriculture to poverty reduction in education.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ-๐จ๐ฝ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ
The session's interactivity stood out, featuring a stand-up exercise to identify participants' roles within the education framework. "Please stand if you're a full-time classroom teacher," Quiรฑones prompted, as the group adjusted based on their involvement in research, policy oversight, or broader planning. This revealed a cadre of key influencers whose work extends beyond single institutions. "You are the key position-holders and planners," she affirmed, underscoring the session's direct applicability.
๐๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ, ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต
Central to the discourse was the differentiation among academic, action, and policy research, a clarification vital for educational practitioners. Quiรฑones noted that academic research advances theories for journals, while action research refines classroom methods. In contrast, policy research addresses systemic issues, guiding allocations for programs, budgets, and reforms. "It's about answering questions like: What's causing this issue? Will this solution work?" she explained, referencing "wicked problems" such as learning gaps linked to nutrition, teacher capabilities, and resource limitations.
๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป-๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Through PIDS case studies, including assessments of education subsidies and access barriers, the speakers delineated four policy research categories: descriptive (mapping current conditions), diagnostic (identifying root causes), prescriptive (evaluating options), and evaluative (measuring effectiveness). Quiรฑones highlighted SERP-P's utility in granting free access to these materials, aiding planners in selecting interventions that maximize impact per investment.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐-๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐จ๐๐ฒ
For participants navigating post-pandemic educational recovery, the session provided a strategic guide. A division superintendent, who remained standing during the exercise, later remarked in conversation that it inspired a review of teacher-training budgets. "We've been reactive; this pushes us toward evidence," she observed, capturing the prevailing view.
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ ๐๐
๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฃ-๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
As the conference concluded, Nicomedes and Quiรฑones issued a clear directive: Explore pids.gov.ph or serp-p.pids.gov.ph for these resources. In a country pursuing inclusive progress, their insights affirm that policy research transcends academia, it forms the foundation for informed, equitable choices that define Philippine education's trajectory.
๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The 2025 National Planning Conference, centered on collaborative approaches, demonstrated the potential of such forums to drive transformation. As attendees left the venue, the emphasis on evidence-based strategies positioned them to cultivate lasting improvements in both classrooms and policy arenas.
๐๐ก๐
NB. The title โ2025 National Planning Conferenceโ has been retained despite the activity being held in 2026. The conference was originally scheduled for implementation in 2025; however, it was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. Keeping the original title preserves the integrity of the 2025 planning cycle and maintains alignment with the preparatory documents and communications already issued for that year.
For more information, contact (085) 221-1151, 0961-737-0873, or 0915-808-4734. Website: www.caraga.deped.gov.ph; email: caraga@deped.gov.ph; pau_caraga@deped.gov.ph.
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