Article on benchmarking

1. University Extensionists Explore Means to Craft Pathways for Sustainable Development
A three-day seminar-writeshop cum collaborative engagement activity with Tarlac State University
(TSU) Extension Services Management Office (ESMO) was initiated by BSU Office of Extension Services
involving university extensionists as participants.
This was held on May 3-5, 2023 at the Tarlac State University-Lucinda Campus. The activity generally
aimed at enhancing and strengthening the OES systems and procedures. Specifically, it aimed at
reorienting extension coordinators, given the turnover of designations brought by changes in the
administration, on the university extension agenda (HERALD++) as well as on developing Gender-
Responsive Extension Proposals (GREPs) as per Research and Extension Manual of Operations (REMO)
Chapter 12 section 10. Other objectives of the activity were on understanding the budget scheme,
equivalent teaching loads ETL for teaching personnel and product loads for non-teaching personnel
which are all relevant to extension.
TSU-ESMO unit operation was first certified ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System. This
certification rekindled the ISO hunger of other delivery units of the university thereby TSU earning its IS0
9001: 2015 Quality Management System. This information was shared by Dr. Lea B. Milan, OIC Director
of the Office of University Extension Services of TSU as she welcomed the Benguet State University
participants.
The Vice-President of R&E, Dr. Johnny G. Dati, Sr. showed support to this activity by being with the
participants in the duration of the activity. He remarked that it is really crucial to keep on reevaluating
the extension PPAs to align with university goals. “In this activity, we go outside the box to know more
about the programs of other institutions to be integrated into our university”, Dati added.
On the first day, Engr. Emir Lenard SF. Sicangco, Unit Head, Extension Affairs Faculty, College of Teacher
Education, shared how the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) can be integrated into the
extension PPAs. He also added that in the Philippine Development Plan, there are PPAs that can be
adopted and can be aligned with the PPAs of the university. He also pointed out that it is best to check
the targeted SGD of the region for the purpose of contributing to its attainment.
Further, Dr. Lea B. Milan, OIC Director of the Office of University Extension Services, shared their best
practices in conducting and managing their extension PPAs. She emphasized the importance of
distributing the university’s goals and targets to the colleges in order to attain these goals and targets
and also to easily monitor the university’s performance towards the 17 SDGs. Dr. Milan also pointed up
the importance of students' participation in the extension PPAs. She also presented the impressive
ESMO-PMERS, an online monitoring scheme developed by the unit,
On the second day, Amelia Kimeu, BSU – GAD TWG member, shared about the Gender-Responsive
Extension Programs (GREPs) in its involvement in the packaging, promotion, demonstration, and
application of appropriate technologies, tools, processes, and products generated from GAD PPAs.
Kimeu also shared the importance of gender roles in developmental extension PPAs that would benefit
the targeted beneficiaries. She also emphasizes the gender lens perspective of every information,
education, and communication (IEC) material that will be used during the implementation of PPAs.
Estrellita M. Daclan, BSU – Supervising Administrative Officer, enhanced Ms. Kimeu’s presentation on
the importance of integration of the GAD perspective in the budget allocation of the extension PPAs.

2. Further, she also commended that most of the implemented university’s extension activities are GAD
responsive.
A very fruitful discussion ensued as the topics on BSU Extension PPAs, Equivalent Teaching Loads (ETLs)
and OES ISO forms were presented by Ms. Julie C. Tenias, Ms. Anna Cris L. Langaoan, Director of OES,
and Ms. Maricel Dacnes respectively.
The activity concluded with a truly enriching campus tour where participants get to visit to the different
extension facilities of Tarlac State University.