In a remarkable feat, Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna (Mapúa MCL) has proudly witnessed its B.S. Architecture students officially become the first LEED Green Associates accredited by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in Southeast Asia last June 2023. This noteworthy accomplishment stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment and tireless efforts demonstrated by our exceptional students and their mentors, Ar. Alvin P. Tejada, a faculty member from the Mapúa Institute of Technology at Laguna (MITL) and Ar. Wilfredo G. Gacutan, B.S. Architecutre Program Chair. Adding to this achievement, Mapúa MCL has also recently earned the distinction of being the first USGBC Gold Member in Southeast Asia.
The USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program is globally recognized as a prestigious standard for sustainable building practices. By equipping our students with the knowledge and skills required to obtain the LEED Green Associate certification, Mapúa MCL has underscored its dedication to producing future leaders who are well-versed in sustainable and environmentally conscious approaches to construction and design.
The successful attainment of the LEED Green Associate credentials by our students showcases their exceptional grasp of sustainable building concepts, energy efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Their accomplishment not only brings pride to Mapúa MCL but also highlights the institution’s commitment to academic excellence and cultivating a culture of innovation.
Mapúa MCL extends its warmest congratulations to our B.S. Architecture students and their mentors for this remarkable achievement. Together, we celebrate this significant accomplishment, knowing that it symbolizes the bright future that lies ahead for sustainable design and construction in the Philippines and in the world.
Mapúa MCL is granted Autonomous Status through CHED Memorandum Order No. 12, Series of 2019, enabling the institution to create new programs and engage in internationalization as needed by students.
Mapúa MCL’s Quality Management System, with the integration of its program offerings, is certified compliant to the latest version of ISO 21001:2018 – proof that the institution has built an effective framework to always keep the students’ best interests in mind.
Through the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Star Rating System from the United Kingdom, Mapúa MCL received five stars for Employability, four stars for Facilities, and three stars for Social Responsibility and Inclusiveness, all contributing to its overall rating of three QS Stars for the performance-based metric system.
Last August 2021, Malayan Colleges Laguna, A Mapúa School (MCL) applied to be a member of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU).
Malayan Colleges Laguna, A Mapúa School (MCL) receives the Plaque of Membership from the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) Oath Taking Ceremony held via Zoom. Image from PACU.
PACU is a private education association and the oldest member of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA). PACU is open for membership for private higher educational institutions (HEIs) with programs aligned with PACU’s mission and vision. Its mission is to strengthen its members’ capabilities, strive for international recognition, and advocate relevant and effective advocacy education policies. Its vision is to envisage nation-building through transformative private education.
Being a member of PACU gives the opportunity to the different HEIs to collaborate with one another and share their best practices on teaching and learning for the betterment of each educational institution under the association.
MCL officials pose for a photo opportunity with fellow PACU Members. Image from PACU.
Last January 17, 2022, MCL officially became a PACU member. Engr. Anthony Hilmer S. Medrano, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of MCL, took the oath of membership and accepted the certificate from PACU’s President, Mr. Anthony Jose Moran Tamayo, on behalf of Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, MCL’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
MCL Executive Vice President and COO, Engr. Anthony Hilmer S. Medrano takes the oath of membership on behalf of Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, MCL President and CEO. Image from PACU.
Dr. Maestrecampo said in his given statement, “As a new member of PACU, MCL looks forward to making significant contributions to the association and fostering meaningful collaboration with its member institutions. As MCL strives towards excellence in building professionals through learner-centered outcomes-based education and innovative digital learning, I urge the MCL community to advance PACU’s commitment to uplifting Philippine education. Together, let us continue to set higher standards and be prime movers in education.”
With its commitment to be a global steeple of excellence, MCL ensures that it will be a valuable member of PACU. The institution will live up to PACU’s mission and vision by continuously nurturing students from Senior High School (SHS) to college and transforming them into globally competitive professionals.
Sources: List of PACU Member Schools – Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities. (2021). Pacu.org.ph. https://www.pacu.org.ph/members/
PACU – Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities. (2018). Cocopea.org. http://cocopea.org/pacu.html
Vision – Mission – Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities. (2021). Pacu.org.ph. http://www.pacu.org.ph/vision-mission/
From Engr. Ezrha C. Godilano, MCL’s B.S. Industrial Engineering program chair: “On behalf of the B.S. Industrial Engineering program, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to PTC-ACBET and to MCL, for helping us, for the support, and the guidance in reaching this prestigious milestone. This will greatly help to contribute in helping us deliver quality education among our students.”
Malayan Colleges Laguna, A Mapua School’s (MCL) B.S. Civil Engineering (CE), B.S. Electrical Engineering (EE), and B.S. Industrial Engineering (IE) programs under the Mapua Institute of Technology at Laguna (MITL) have been accredited by the Philippine Technological Council Accreditation and Certification Board for Engineering and Technology (PTC-ACBET) for A.Y. 2019-2020 to A.Y. 2020-2021.
With this, all of MCL’s engineering programs are now recognized by PTC-ACBET in accordance with the quality standards of the Washington Accord System.
To achieve this accreditation, MCL’s CE, EE, and IE programs underwent assessment and evaluation by ACBET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission. To formally acknowledge this achievement, a ceremony was held last July 8, 2021, via Zoom, with the recipients of the awards, Engr. Orlando G. Perez, MITL Dean, Engr. Hermie G. Del Pilar, CE Program Chair, Engr. Maria Criselda B. Loyola, EE Program Chair, and Engr. Ezrha C. Godilano, IE Program Chair, in attendance.
“I sincerely congratulate each one of you for an outstanding performance to have us reach this steeple of excellence,” said Engr. Perez. “I am truly proud of your dedication in unleashing the extraordinary smartness and persistence to get you through the challenging phases of accreditation – a noteworthy moment which marked another MCL milestone to be justly honored and remembered. Great job. Continue to persevere and strive for excellence.”
Administrators from both MCL and PTC-ACBET were also present, including Dr. Lydia G. Tansinsin, PTC Founding President and ACBET Chairperson, and Engr. Federico A. Monsada, PTC President and ACBET Co-Chair, both of whom delivered their messages for the community alongside MCL’s top management.
From Engr. Hermie M. Del Pilar, MCL B.S. Civil Engineering program chair: “In behalf of the MCL Civil Engineering students and faculty, I would like to thank the PTC-ACBET and the MCL administrators for giving us the opportunity to engage in this worthwhile academic practice. Indeed, this practice will greatly contribute to the objective of MCL, which is to become a global steeple of excellence and virtue.”
“I would like to congratulate all of you for being accredited substantially equivalent to the Washington Accord System. This system is placed to make sure the graduates of engineering are ready to practice their engineering knowledge with mathematics and other sciences. And this Washington Accord has nine attributes which I think your college has more or less attained the minimum or maximum benefits with the practices that you have made,” said Dr. Tansinsin.
Like with previous accreditations received from PTC-ACBET, Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, MCL President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) welcomed the recognition with gratitude and enthusiasm, stating that it pushes MCL further to the advancement of the school’s mission and vision.
“The PTC-ACBET Quality Assurance System establishes our sense of accountability,” said Dr. Maestrecampo. “In addition, it clarifies our roles and responsibilities as providers of higher education as partner of the community and the industry by ensuring that our programs of study and their related support infrastructures are of the highest standards.”
To Engr. Maribel G. Songsong, MCL Vice President for Academic Affairs, achieving recognition for three more of MCL’s engineering programs was not an easy feat, especially with the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“The way we all responded to this crisis is commendable. It showed us that in these extraordinary times, we possess the necessary qualities to keep us thriving despite the odds. These qualities include resiliency, adaptability, flexibility, and innovativeness,” said Engr. Songsong. “We strived to keep our promise to uphold our standards of providing quality education, allowing our students to still engage
and experience quality learning facilitated by our passionate and dedicated faculty.“
From Engr. Maria Criselda B. Loyola, MCL B.S. Electrical Engineering program chair: “This accreditation would not have been possible without the full cooperation and support of our dean, faculty, and students. We owe this achievement to our faculty, who from the start partook in the data collection, assessment, and evaluation. And to our students, especially those who actively participated in the interviews, most of them are graduates now, your honest answers contributed to the accreditation as a whole. I know you have been waiting for this, as some of you keep on asking me about the results since then. I hope this will help you in any way. To the support units of MCL, let me thank you for your cooperation. Without you, the whole process will not be complete.”
During his closing remarks, Engr. Anthony Hilmer S. Medrano, MCL Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), stated that this achievement is a testament to the institution’s commitment to its vision: to become a global steeple of excellence in delivering professional education.
With its Outcomes-Based Education system in place for years, MCL’s accreditations for its engineering programs are proof that students are given opportunities to think, be creative, and be innovative, ensuring that after graduation they will be able to practice their profession independently, a feat that not all engineering graduates are able to accomplish.
According to Engr. Monsada, because of the graduate attributes they have achieved, MCL’s engineering graduates are qualified to undergo further experience and training on the job, and eventually have the professional competence that will enable them to register with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) or with PTC as chartered engineers or as certified engineers, among others.
“This is something that we are very proud of, because PTC now says that when you have the graduate attributes, at some point in time, we are expecting them to achieve the ability to provide or undertake independent practice. And that independent practice is defined very well in international registers with which we are also authorized,” said Engr. Monsada.
This means that the PTC-ACBET accreditations are assurance that graduates from MCL’s engineering programs are enabled to eventually register as APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Engineers, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Engineers, ACP (ASEAN Chartered Professional)
Engineers, or International Professional Engineers, all of which are viable options for graduates to mobilize their engineering profession in an international capacity.
“MCL will strive for excellence and prepare other programs as well to undergo similar endeavors,” added Engr. Medrano. “As President Dodjie said, we may not return to the old normal, but we will be ready for the next normal, as One Malayan. Pandemic or not, MCL will continue to strive for Excellence and Virtue.”
