La Trinidad, Benguet — Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) has advanced its engagement in the sustainable management of land for tourism through a formal multi-institutional partnership with the Municipality of Atok, Benguet, and through faculty research that directly examines sustainable tourism practices in the same community.
On September 12, 2025, the CUBE Partnership — comprising CCDC, the University of Baguio (UB), Baguio Central University (BCU), and Easter College — signed a three-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Municipality of Atok. The agreement formalized a collective commitment to “inclusive, sustainable, and community-driven development across the Cordillera region,” in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The signing was attended by Atok Municipal Tourism Officer Ms. Johanna Mae Lopez-Balao, together with Mayor Franklin Smith, five of the eight Punong Barangays, the Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representative, and members of the Sangguniang Bayan. CCDC was represented by President Dr. Sherry Junette M. Tagle, Dr. Corazon Ocden, and Extension Coordinators Ms. Bliss Bacacao and Ms. Rosaria Pes-Oyen.
A pre-planning session with barangay leaders provided a structured avenue for dialogue between the academe and local officials, with CUBE institutions committing to “designing and implementing programs that directly respond to the realities of underserved communities”. The inclusion of the Municipal Tourism Officer signals that sustainable tourism and land management fall within the partnership’s community outreach agenda.
Complementing this institutional engagement, CCDC faculty member Ayson Depayso of the College of Business Administration and Education has conducted research on “Perceptions on Sustainable Tourism in Paoay Atok Benguet,” which she presented in Thailand and Bali, Indonesia. This research directly examines community perspectives on sustainable tourism in the same municipality covered by the CUBE MOA, providing an evidence base that can inform future educational outreach on tourism land management.
These initiatives reflect CCDC’s broader commitment to extending its academic and research expertise beyond the campus in service of sustainable, community-led development — including the responsible management of land for tourism.
