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The 黑料网, through its Knowledge Management Section, held its third Knowledge Unloading Day (KUD) this year on November 14, 2025 via Zoom, featuring three returning scholars who shared their research outputs, key learnings, and personal experiences from their academic journeys. This year\u2019s KUD, themed <\/span>\u201c<\/b>Insights from PCAF\u2019s Returning Scholars\u201d<\/b>, highlighted grantees from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).<\/span><\/p>\n In her opening message, PCAF Executive Director <\/span>Bernadette De Los Santos emphasized the value of transforming individual learning into organizational insight.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThrough today\u2019s KUD, we aim to transform individual learning into collective wisdom. The insights and experiences our returning scholars will share today are seeds of innovation that can enrich our programs, strengthen our policies, and help us better serve our partners in the agriculture and fisheries sector,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Representing KOICA scholars, Svenjo Nicdao completed a <\/span>Master of Artificial Intelligence in Applied Artificial Intelligence, Major in Digital Innovation<\/span><\/i> at Hanyang University, while Janielle Aretha Pelonio finished a <\/span>Master\u2019s Degree Program in Economic Development Policy for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth<\/span><\/i> at the Korea Development Institute (KDI) School of Public Policy and Management.<\/span><\/p>\n From DAP, Alvin Racho completed his <\/span>Master in Development Management<\/span><\/i> under the Middle Managers Class of the Public Management Development Program (PMDP) Batch 32 in Tagaytay City.<\/span><\/p>\n During the knowledge-sharing session, Nicdao discussed his onboarding process as a KOICA scholar, offering practical insights into scholarship requirements and preparations. He also encouraged participants to explore the KOICA scholarship programs currently open for applications. Nicdao further presented his thesis, \u201cCultivating Sustainability: Digital Innovation and Participatory Governance in Agricultural Decision-Making,\u201d which examined how various digital innovation practices influence consultative mechanisms, sustainability efforts, and stakeholder empowerment in the agri-fishery sector.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked about classroom dynamics abroad, Nicdao explained that Korean classes tend to be collaborative and laboratory-oriented. \u201cAll students, including the professors, work together on projects. Professors appreciate student insights, and even adjust the syllabus based on their needs,\u201d he noted.<\/span><\/p>\n Pelonio shared her experiences adjusting to Korea\u2019s unique culture, along with the coping mechanisms she developed to meet new academic demands, manage homesickness, and navigate language barriers. She also presented her supervised research project, \u201cRethinking Urban Agriculture in the Philippines: Lessons from Practices and Policies in Select Southeast Asian Countries.\u201d Her study drew lessons from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand to assess which approaches may be replicated in the Philippine context.<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Racho recounted his \u201csensing journey\u201d in Brgy. Maungib, Pura, Tarlac, where PMDP scholars lived with foster families to understand community realities firsthand. \u201cWe were encouraged not to intervene or try to change their lives, but simply to live the experience,\u201d he said, reflecting on how the immersion deepened his understanding of grassroots development. He also shared insights from his capstone project, \u201cYouth Participation in Agriculture and Fisheries Policy Development through Youth-led Policy Hackathon,\u201d which aimed to address the low engagement of young people in agri-fishery policy development by creating platforms for meaningful youth involvement.<\/span><\/p>\n The event also revisited the significance of PCAF\u2019s scholarship initiatives. In an earlier interview, Administrative, Financial, and Management Division Chief Cyril Soliaban underscored that these programs reaffirm the agency\u2019s commitment to enhancing its human resource capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe scholarships are PCAF\u2019s way to provide our employees with advancement opportunities and the goal of further honing their skills and knowledge,\u201d he said. He added that it had been decades since the agency, then known as the National Agricultural and Fishery Council, last granted scholarships, and that most recipients of foreign grants in previous years were already retired.<\/span><\/p>\n Soliaban emphasized that alongside regular training, scholarship programs demonstrate PCAF\u2019s seriousness in strengthening its Learning and Development framework, one of the four pillars of the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pcaf.da.gov.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RPs.png\")
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