As part of its ongoing commitment to public service, the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS), University of the Philippines Visayas successfully hosted 178 interns under its 2026 Internship Program.
The public service program welcomed 131 college trainees from 10 state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide, along with 47 high school students from four schools in Iloilo.
Conducted across different institutes of CFOS, including the UP Visayas Museum of Natural Sciences (UPV-MNS), the program offered 176 hours of training for college students and 80 hours for high school participants. The college internship is conducted from June to July to ensure CFOS faculty, researchers, and laboratory facilities are available to support student learning.
The highlight of the implementation was the main CFOS-led training program held from June to July 2026 that equipped 62 college interns with essential competencies in fisheries science. Through structured lectures, specialized workshops, field investigations, and laboratory exercises, students gained practical knowledge related to post-harvest technologies, capture fisheries, aquaculture, and fisheries social science research.
The main training was conducted in two batches. The first batch, which ran from June 8 until July 8, 2026, comprised 10 BS Fisheries students from the University of Southern Mindanao (USM)–Kabacan, six from Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA)–Calabanga, 11 from Surigao del Norte State University (SNSU)–Malimono, and five BS Marine Biology students from Mindanao State University (MSU)–General Santos. The training was from June 8 until July 8, 2026.
The second batch scheduled on June 22 until July 21, 2026, included fisheries students from SUCs within the region. These were Northern Iloilo State University–Estancia (10), Capiz State University (CapSU)–Dayao (12), and CapSU–Pontevedra (😎.
In addition to the main training, CFOS institutes offered practical, direct experience by involving interns in ongoing research and laboratory work.
The Institute of Aquaculture accepted 48 BS Fisheries students from SNSU–Del Carmen (25) and CapSU–Pontevedra (23) for 240 and 176 hours, respectively. They were assigned to ongoing research projects and laboratories, including the Brackishwater Aquaculture Center in Leganes, Iloilo.
The Institute of Fish Processing Technology hosted 11 interns, comprising eight BS Biology students from Iloilo Science and Technology University–Main Campus and three fisheries students from MSU–Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (TCTO) for 160 training hours from June 8 to July 3, 2026.
Additionally, the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology provided 112 hours of specialized training to 10 BS Marine Biology students from MSU–TCTO from June 10 to 30, 2026.
The initiative also extended to high school students, providing them practical work immersion and early exposure to actual scientific research in fisheries science.
Thirty Grade 12 STEM students from Igbaras National High School completed a 10-day work immersion split in two batches from January 12 to 23 and January 26 to February 6, 2026.
Thirteen Grade 12 STEM learners from St. Louise de Marillac School of Miagao, Iloilo, Inc. successfully fulfilled a 72-hour work immersion, while four incoming Grade 11 Philippine Science High School scholars engaged in advanced seaweed research during a 10-day summer internship at the UPV Seaweed Laboratory from June 29 to July 10, 2026.
Every year, the CFOS Internship Program draws widespread interest from academic institutions across the country. Since its institutionalization in 2023, the public service initiative has trained over 500 trainees from 14 SUCs and six high schools, continuing its vital role in moulding and inspiring the next generation of fisheries professionals.
Written by Lenilyn B. Gallos
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