The University of the Philippines Bangsa Development Initiative (UP-BDI) Caravan made its way to the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) on July 29, 2026, to orient UPV’s constituents and encourage participation in support of peace and sustainable development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
UP-BDI is UP’s flagship program under the administration of President Angelo Jimenez. It was launched in a summit meeting on September 13, 2023.
The UP-BDI Caravan is a strategic outreach and engagement activity aimed at collaborating with and engaging UP constituent universities in BARMM. The UPV leg of the caravan serves as a convergence platform to promote UP-BDI and its mandate to bridge and consolidate development initiatives in the region.
According to Asst. Prof. Maynard Usares of UP Mindanao, UP-BDI Program Coordinator, the program calls for collaboration, complementation, and co-creation among UP, Bangsa local government units (LGUs) and communities, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to initiate high-impact projects.
The UPV leg of the caravan featured discussions of projects, including the Project SARAi collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR)-BARMM and the telemedicine project in Tawi-Tawi.
Project SARAi, or the Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines, is a data-driven, climate-smart research program led by UP Los Baños and funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) to support agricultural productivity.
For BARMM, the project will focus on priority crop characterization in selected municipalities, deployment of SARAI technologies, and capacity-building for partner LGUs, including the establishment of an integrated crop monitoring and forecasting system using drones, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and automated weather stations.
Meanwhile, the telemedicine project in Tawi-Tawi seeks to improve healthcare access in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas through telemedicine and digital health technologies. It aims to connect rural health units and communities in Tawi-Tawi with medical specialists through remote consultations.
This initiative is a partnership among UP Manila, the UP Resilience Institute, BARMM’s Ministry of Health, and the GIDA Initiative.
The UPV leg of the UP-BDI Caravan featured discussions on the thematic areas of collaboration and the sharing of engagements. Prof. Usares was joined by Ar. Minerva Rosel, Mr. Renz Xyrill Clyde Lorin, and Mr. John Carlo Evardo as resource persons of the caravan. They were welcomed by Prof. Pepito Fernandez, Jr., UPV College of Arts Dean, who represented UPV on behalf of Chancellor Clement Camposano.
Written by Carlson Alelis, IPO
Photos by Gian Genoveza, IPO
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