HUNGDUAN, IFUGAO — The Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) Department of Saint Mary’s University (SMU), through its Ecotourism class, formally signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Hungduan on October 14–15 as a key step in continuing their long-term community extension projects.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Ecotourism class under Course Instructor Mr. John Michael C. Ibarra, centers on two main programs: “Adopt a Tourist Site” and “Adopt a Pupil,” running throughout this academic year and into future years. The project was carried out in partnership with the Tour Guiding and Marketing in Tourism and Hospitality classes, assisted by the Junior Tourism and Hospitality Management Association of the Philippines (JTHMAP) – SMU Chapter. Student leadership was led by Event Director Andrea Jenice G. Acosta, Co-Event Director Lister Dan E. Casuga, and JTHMAP-SMU Chapter Governor Meji Fatima D. Gomez.

Accompanying the student delegation were Mr. Ibarra and HTM Department Head Mr. Mark Ian J. Soriano. LGU Hungduan was represented during the signing and field coordination by Executive Assistant to the Municipal Mayor Ms. Marina Atolba, Tourism Operations Officer II Ms. Haydee Hermosora, and Tourism Office Staff Ms. Nezanin Ihing.

Following the formal MOA signing, faculty members, student teams, and local officials conducted an ocular visit on homestays, accommodations, and tourist spots across Barangay Hapao as part of the ground assessment to gather baseline data to refine marketing strategies, design structured tour-guiding itineraries, and lay the foundation for targeted educational resource support and student welfare provisions for local schoolchildren under the “Adopt a Pupil” initiative.

This collaborative extension effort reflects the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—specifically Quality Education (SDG 4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Sustainable Communities (SDG 11), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)—while exemplifying SMU’s core Marian values of Communion through active collaboration, Social Responsibility by reaching out to local communities, and Stewardship of Creation and Culture in preserving Hapao’s eco-tourism heritage.