On October 10, 2025, senior officials from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) paid a courtesy visit to Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), at the CHED Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City.
The PAASCU delegation, headed by Board of Trustees President Br. Bernard S. Oca, FSC, included Vice President Dr. Cecile B. Gutierrez, Executive Director Mr. Ricardo R. Palo, and Commission members Dr. Lucila Calairo, Engr. Nestley Sore, Dr. Gisela Luna, and Dr. Joselito Villaruz. They were warmly received by Dr. Agrupis and her team, who expressed their appreciation for PAASCU’s continuing partnership and dedication to advancing higher education quality in the country.
The visit reaffirmed both institutions’ shared commitment to strengthening collaboration in ensuring quality and accountability across Philippine higher education. During the dialogue, PAASCU presented updates on its quality assurance initiatives at both the national and international levels. Discussions focused on proposed joint efforts such as assisting schools in developing internal quality assurance systems, conducting external evaluations for institutions that have not undergone recent reviews, capacity-building programs, and data-sharing for benchmarking and policy formulation.
Both CHED and PAASCU expressed openness to establishing closer coordination mechanisms and the formation of working groups to implement these initiatives. Their joint efforts are anchored in a mutual vision of supporting institutional excellence and continuous improvement throughout the country’s higher education system.
As a strong advocate of quality assurance, Chairperson Agrupis reaffirmed her support for PAASCU’s initiatives, recognizing their alignment with CHED’s ACHIEVE agenda. She also encouraged PAASCU to continue collaborating closely with other quality assurance (QA) agencies to harmonize standards and processes, thereby strengthening the country’s QA ecosystem.
PAASCU extends its sincere gratitude to Chairperson Agrupis and her office for the warm welcome and engaging discussion. The Association looks forward to deepening its collaboration with CHED in building a more robust, innovative, and globally competitive higher education system – one that upholds excellence, integrity, and service to Filipino learners and institutions nationwide.
