The foundation of sustainable community development lies in the synergy among various stakeholders, particularly the bridge between academic expertise and local governance. Preceding the formalization of the partnership on November 5, 2025, consultative engagements and the drafting of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) were conducted. This document was reviewed and endorsed by the Barangay Leadership of Middle Quezon Hill, the BCU President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), the Dean, the Community Extension Coordinator of the Graduate School, and the Student Leader-Representatives, ensuring a structured and grounded collaboration.

Project Green Guardians (PGG) is anchored in the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) ACHIEVE Agenda, specifically under the letter “H” — Harmonized SDG-based Research and Innovation Agenda. While extension is often viewed as a standalone service, CHED integrates it as a vital mechanism for transferring knowledge and technology to address real-world challenges. By adopting the Middle Quezon Hill Eco Zone, BCU translates research into community-based innovation, ensuring that academic output directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

The CHED ACHIEVE Agenda Framework, highlighting Harmonized SDG-based Research.

Project Green Guardians Leadership: Hon. Potenciano L. Martinez (Punong Barangay, Middle Quezon Hill), Dr. Genevieve B. Kupang (GS Dean & IRO),  Dr. Jennifer T. Longchasen (GS CES Coordinator), Josefa P. Dampilag (EDMGT/PHAS Rep), and Joy Belle M. Bidang (PHAS).

Responding to the Cry of the Earth: Post-Typhoon Restoration

This initiative is a response to the ecological vulnerability of our region. The project launched in the wake of a typhoon season, where the city faced the successive impacts of Typhoons like Super Typhoon Nando to Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong). These calamities left the Eco Zone scarred with fallen branches, uprooted tree trunks, and debris that threatened the local micro-ecosystem.

In the spirit of Volunteerism, MAEE and Doctoral students mobilized to clear the devastation. However, the mission transcends mere cleaning. Following the physical restoration, graduate scholars are tasked with Taxonomic Documentation. By identifying and cataloging the remaining flora and fauna (faura and fauna) within the eco-zone, BCU fulfills its research mandate, creating a biodiversity baseline that informs regional conservation efforts.

Project Green Guardians is the living embodiment of Baguio Central University Graduate School’s Vision and Mission. BCU is committed to producing graduates who are not only academically competent but also socially responsible and ecologically conscious. By bringing together students from the PhD in Administration, MBA, and MA in English, Filipino, and Mathematics, the university demonstrates that “Quality Education” is a multi-dimensional tool for community empowerment. PGG is hinged in Eco-Spirituality and IKSP. Rooted in the Cordilleran spirit, the project honors Project Green Guardians (PGG). It reflects the university’s goal to imbue students with eco-spirituality—treating the Earth as a sacred kin.

Punong Barangay Martinez Orients BCU Leadership Team on Project Green Guardians (L-R: Bidang, Longchasen, Kupang). Photo credit: Josefa P. Dampilag

A Multidisciplinary Future

The next phase of this “Harmonized Agenda” will see MBA students designing sustainable community ventures, MA English and Filipino students crafting eco-poetry and other literary pieces inspired by the documented fauna, and MA Mathematics students utilizing statistical models to track the park’s ecological recovery. This subsequent chapter of dedicated volunteerism and advanced leadership reflects community service. It demonstrates that at BCU, we do not just “clean” a space—we study it, we heal it, and we beautify it for the long term.

Together We Build Better: Restoration, Research, and Revitalization.

                  BCU and Middle Quezon Hill Representatives commit to restore, research, and revitalize one of Baguio City’s Oxygen parks– the Quezon Hill Eco Zone.

A Preview of the Restoration in Action. Dr. Jennifer Longchasen, CES Coordinator, Leads Blessing (Ecological Prayer Offering) Before MAEE Green Guardians Restore Typhoon-Uwan-Ravaged Quezon Hill Eco-Zone.

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