Saint Louis University (SLU), through the University Outreach Programs Office (UOPO), strengthened its Binnadang approach to community engagement through a Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) conducted on 26 September 2026 in Barangay Virac, Itogon, Benguet.
The activity brought together community members from three groups—youth, non-working parents, and elders—to share their experiences, identify community priorities, recognize existing resources, and contribute ideas for future initiatives.
The RRA forms part of SLU’s continuing PAGLUSONG journey, a Binnadang process that emphasizes deeper encounter, listening, discernment, and partnership with communities.
PAGLUSONG: SLU Brings One University, One Mission to the Virac Community
From Planning to Community Encounter
The initiative began with the “PAGLUSONG: RRA & Needs Assessment Planning Meeting” held on 7 August 2026, which brought together representatives from the University’s Hospital, Mission and Identity, Finance, Academic, and Administration Clusters.
The convergence reflected SLU’s commitment to a whole-university approach to community engagement, recognizing that meaningful outreach requires the shared expertise, resources, and participation of different sectors of the University.
On 26 September, this shared commitment moved from planning to community encounter as the RRA team engaged residents of Barangay Virac.
Listening to Different Voices
The youth session surfaced concerns related to roads and pedestrian safety, street lighting, transportation, water interruptions, waste management, cellular connectivity, waiting sheds, and access to community facilities. Participants also identified opportunities connected to agriculture and local production.
The non-working parents identified livelihood and skills as their highest priority, followed by education and facilities, health and daycare, and sanitation and water. The session also encouraged participants to recognize their existing skills, resources, and opportunities for livelihood development.
Meanwhile, the elders shared concerns involving access to medicines and senior citizen benefits, health services, mobility, waste management, water, drainage, and community infrastructure. At the same time, they highlighted the community’s strengths—unity, cooperation, respect, acceptance, cleanliness, and bayanihan.
A participant captured the spirit of the community through the words “Tarigagay, anus, ken gaget”—determination, patience, and hard work.
Binnadang: Listening Before Responding
For SLU, the RRA is more than a needs assessment. It is an expression of Binnadang as a way of journeying with communities. The information gathered will be organized and analyzed, after which the findings will be brought back to the community for validation. Residents will have the opportunity to confirm, clarify, add to, or revise the findings based on their lived experiences.
This participatory process ensures that future initiatives are not simply designed for the community but developed with the community.
Through PAGLUSONG, SLU continues to bring together its different clusters, expertise, and resources toward a shared mission of accompaniment and service.
PAGLUSONG is Binnadang in action:
Listening Together. Discerning Together. Responding Together.
The journey continues as Saint Louis University seeks to build partnerships that recognize not only community needs but also the strengths, knowledge, capacities, and aspirations already present within the community. (Article and Photos by SLU UOPO)
