To help the faculty coaches evaluate the College’s performance in the recently held CAASUC III Virtual Regional Showcase of Talents 2021 and to become an initial step for ASCOT’s preparation for the CAASUC III 2022, the Socio-Cultural Affairs Office together with the Sentro ng Wika at Kultura in collaboration with the Gender and Development Office spearheaded a three-day Strategic Planning on Culture and the Arts with Gender Mainstreaming, with the theme, “Act of Winning Starts Today, ” held at the ASCOT FTC, Brgy. Dibet, Casiguran, Aurora; February 24-26.

Before the Strategic Planning Proper, the first day started with an Opening Program also attended by some of the College’s key officials, including our College President, Dr. Eutiquio L. Rotaquio, Jr., the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. RB J. Gallego, and the Administrator of ASCOT Casiguran Campus, Ma’am Mancy M. Lota.

In his speech, Dr. Rotaquio thanked the offices who organized the said event and congratulated the faculty coaches for helping the College’s contestants win this year’s CAASUC Competition. He also said that this activity would surely be a helpful step in achieving more wins in the next competitions this year.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gallego stated that the College will always ensure its support to the College’s representatives in various contests, including the student participants and the faculty coaches.

Moreover, Ma’am Lota greeted all the participants warmly, expressing her thanks for including the campus faculty members in the said activity even though they may be far from the College’s main campus.

After the opening program is the Strategic Planning Proper wherein the Directors of the SCA and GAD Offices deliver their talks to the participants.

Mrs. Malou C. Angara, Director of the Gender and Development (GAD) Office, discussed the impact of gender mainstreaming on culture and the arts.

After the first discussion, the group had their overall evaluation of the College’s entries in the first Virtual CAASUC III 2021, led by the Director of the Socio-Cultural Affairs, Dr. Jay M. Amon. The team was also able to strategize a plan to improve and win more awards at the 2022 Culture and the Arts Festival in the following categories: Dance, Music, Literary, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts.

The faculty coaches shared their evaluations with the group and shared some suggestions on how to improve ASCOT’s next performances. Some suggestions include conducting training for coaches and students, re-organization of the ASCOT Chorale, giving incentives to winning students, and forming culture and art clubs for students to showcase their talents in different fields of arts.

To give the faculty coaches some additional insights and inspiration, resource speakers from the Philippine National Police and Department of Education discussed various topics for the participants’ growth as coaches and individuals. The speakers also prepared some parlor games that served as a team-building activity for the participants. The games tested their unity and cooperation, especially in attaining a common goal.

The Officer-In-Charge of the Casiguran Municipal Police Station, PCPT Lorena O. Bautista, discussed the topic of Mental Health as a Gem of Honing Champions, and Mrs. Maria Mel Bihasa-Glemao, Secondary School Teacher III of Lual National High School, talked about how to strengthen the bond among the team.

The three-day activity ended with a Cultural Immersion Tour wherein the coaches visited some of DICADI’s cultural spots before returning to their respective homes.