PANABO CITY – Davao del Norte State College set out to embed a culture of innovation and enterprise within its academic framework with the latest installment of the Braulio E. Dujali Lecture Series, focused on “Building Innovation and Entrepreneurship Culture in DNSC”.
The activity was held at the DNSC Gender and Development Conference Hall on January 13, 2026, with Michael Lochinvar Abundo, Chief Thinking Officer of BluC53, as the lecturer. The one-day forum was facilitated by the DNSC BUGSAI Technology Business Incubator. It convened members of the College Management Team in the morning and faculty members from the Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, and Bachelor of Science in Information Systems programs.
In her opening remarks, DNSC President Joy M. Sorrosa set the tone for the event, emphasizing that the forum’s goal was to forge a stronger alignment of institutional strategies.
“It will enable us to identify the next steps, such as commercializing technologies, nurturing startups, and creating an ecosystem that supports sustainable development and community empowerment,” Dr. Sorrosa stated.
The activity’s rationale was elaborated by Dr. Jesebel M. Besas, Director for Knowledge and Technology Transfer and Project Lead for DNSC BUGSAI TBI, who stressed the evolving role of higher education institutions.
“We need to live up to these expectations and remain true to our mission of contributing to the progress of society and the development of our country. Thus, we must become more proactive in working toward the production of innovative solutions,” Dr. Besas explained.
The afternoon session, opened by Dr. Mariannie A. Rebortera, Director for Extension Division, focused on stakeholder engagement. Dr. Rebortera outlined the forum’s aims: “to help the community understand what it takes to cultivate an innovation culture, identify individual and collective roles, learn from best practices, and discuss actionable steps.”
The event concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Eliseo F. Huesca, Jr., who framed the day’s discussions within a global and historical context. Referencing economist Peter Crocker’s 1960s prediction that knowledge would surpass natural resources as an economic driver, Dr. Huesca pointed to modern exemplars.
“Today, we see this reality in the successes of Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, and Estonia,” he said. “Inspired by the same spirit of the Bugsai TBI, it is nudging our province and the Davao region toward an entrepreneurial future.”
An interesting point was made by Mr. Abundo during the question and answer portion on the relevance of molding an entrepreneurial mindset even at the graduate school level. “Graduate researchers need to go beyond identifying a problem and solution,” he stated.
“They must also consider whether there is a market experiencing that problem and waiting for the solution. How big is the problem? Does it affect 20 people, or 20 million people? That level of impact is what distinguishes graduate-level research, moving beyond purely technical thinking toward societal contribution,” he added.
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