Representing ASSCAT was Mr. Johanter Havana Helarion, a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture student majoring in Agronomy, who currently serves as the President of the Supreme Student Government (SSG). He represented the institution’s ASSCAT – College of Agriculture in a two-week academic and cultural engagement involving delegates from various agricultural higher education institutions across Asia.

 

The AAACU-SEP is a flagship regional initiative aimed at fostering academic cooperation, intercultural learning, and leadership development among agriculture students. This year’s theme aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)—with a focus on sustainable agriculture, food systems, and innovation.

 

Mr. Helarion participated in academic sessions, solidarity group projects, field exposures, and cultural showcases. As a member of the Manobo indigenous community, he also highlighted indigenous identity and local agricultural knowledge as integral components of inclusive and sustainable development.

 

“𝘿𝙖𝙠𝙤 𝙣𝙜𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙩, 𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘾𝙐-𝙎𝙀𝙋 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙐𝙀𝙋,” 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮. “𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢—𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘼𝙎𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙏 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙤. 𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝘿𝙧. Joy C. Capistrano, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝘿𝙧. 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙝 𝙈𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖-𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘼𝙎𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙏 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢.”

 

The closing ceremony on August 1 featured the AAACU Got Talent competition, solidarity presentations, and “Ways Forward” outputs that outlined recommendations for continued collaboration among participating institutions. These activities showcased the delegates’ reflections and creative outputs as part of the program’s culminating events.

 

According to AAACU Executive Secretary Dr. Amado A. Angeles (UP Los Baños), the AAACU-SEP serves as a platform for capacity building and internationalization of agricultural higher education in Asia. The participation of institutions like ASSCAT reinforces the importance of equitable representation and regional partnerships in addressing global challenges in food and agriculture.

 

ASSCAT’s involvement in this year’s SEP supports its institutional thrust on internationalization, student development, and the integration of indigenous knowledge into agricultural education and leadership. The College continues to align its programs and engagements with global frameworks and regional initiatives that empower future-ready learners.

 

^ 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴