The Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) and PhilWiki Community have announced on January 16, 2026, their commitment to promote digital literacy and open knowledge through the strengthening and expansion of CBSUA’s Wiki Education Program for 2026-2030.
The state university and the Philippine Wikimedia affiliate have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand their partnership, integrating Wikimedia programs into academic and co-curricular activities, and enhancing the digital literacy and writing skills of students. Furthermore, the partnership aims to promote Bikol languages, literature, and culture through Wikimedia projects as well as through training, edit-a-thons, cultural walks, and conferences.
Associate Professor Jerome Hipolito of the College of Education and CBSUA-Calabanga Campus Administrator Jeremy Deloso presented to University President Alberto Naperi the long-term plan of the program: expanding the Wiki OJT program in all campuses; building partnerships with Local Government Units (LGUs) and cultural institutions; and establishing a Center for Open Access Resources, Knowledge Commons, and Large Language Model (LLM), signaling a bold new era for open-access education in the country.
University students, faculty members, and personnel from the Knowledge Management Center and the University Extension Services Office participated in the Intro to Wikipedia and Wiki Referencing Workshop, held at the main campus in Pili, Camarines Sur, and online on December 8, 9, 16, and 17, 2025.
During the series of training and webinars on Sources and Citations, 30 third-year Education majors under Hipolito, while 13 faculty members, personnel, and volunteer students at the University Extension and Services Office were introduced to proper adding of references and citations through the #1Lib1Ref and the ongoing #SheSaid Campaigns. Most of the participants were participants during the Feminism and Folklore Campaign on Bikol Wikipedia last semester.
Launched in October 2023, the Wiki Education program (WikiEdu PH) at CBSUA has steadily expanded its presence within and beyond the university campuses, including Pili, Calabanga, and Sipocot. CBSUA Vice President for Research and Innovation Dariel Palmiano and Extension and Services Office Chairperson Abegail Guinoo supervised the recent training, along with resident Wikipedians Marvin Molin and Leah Sumalinog, who also serve in the PhilWiki Community Board.
During the pilot implementation of the program at Calabanga campus, 209 university students participated in various Wikipedia campaigns. More than thirty signed up for the CBSUA Wiki Club, which collaborated with Wikipedians in Waseda University-Tokyo to enrich Wikimedia contents about the Philippines and Japan during the Wikimedia Japan-Philippines Friendship Editing Month.
The state university implemented the Wiki OJT program for English majors, integrated Wikimedia-based activities into the month-long celebration of literature, and participated in the Bikol Wikisource Training of Trainers held in Naga City, as well as at the GLAM Wiki Conference PH 2024 held in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
In 2025, 130 new contributors created 378 articles during the month-long CBSUA LitFest literary competition, more than 50 university students completed the Wikipedia Training Modules, and eight student writers participated in the Hablon-Usipon Children’s Book Translation Workshop translating 32 children’s stories into various Bikol languages through the StoryWeaver open platform. At the 3-day Cebu Wiki Conference, the annual gathering of Wikimedia content creators held last August 22-24, 2025, in Mandaue City, the state university was recognized for its groundbreaking efforts in advancing free knowledge and digital literacy.
The header shows a PhilWiki training event in CBSUA about Basic Wikipedia and Feminism & Folklore in 2025 (photo by Filipinayzd) Click to learn more about the CBSUA – Calabanga Campus.
About the author
Irvin Parco Sto. Tomas is a veteran leader within the open knowledge movement. He serves as Community Organizer of the Bikol Wikipedia Community and an ESEAP Community Connector with a deep-seated commitment to regional collaboration. Based in the Philippines, he has been a cornerstone of the Wikimedia community in Asia for nearly two decades, playing a pivotal role in establishing the initial foundations for organized movement activities in his home country. His acceptance of the Community Connector role represents the latest chapter in a long career dedicated to fostering solidarity and operational capacity among the diverse cultural groups of East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.
His governance experience as Founding Chair of the Philippine Wikimedia Community User Group and Board Secretary of Commons Photographers User Group is extensive and foundational to the current structure of the Hub. He was a key member of the ESEAP Preparatory Council, where he helped steer the region through the complex process of strategy formulation and charter drafting. Beyond regional governance, he has been instrumental in high-level organizational efforts, including serving on the Core Organizing Team for the inaugural ESEAP Conference 2019 in Bali, Indonesia, and playing various roles in the Wikipedia Asian Month User Group, Wikisource Loves Manuscripts Learning Partners Network, and Wiki Loves Folklore International Team. He served as Conference Director of the Bikol WikiConference 2023, WikiCommons PH Conference 2023, and GLAM Wiki Conference PH 2024. This background provides him with a profound understanding of the institutional history and the diplomatic nuances required to harmonize the interests of various affiliates.