Stewardship Over Status: DOST-NRCP President Reframes the Academic Hood at MSU-IIT
ILIGAN CITY — Addressing the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) Class of 2026 on July 28, 2026, Dr. Michael Angelo B. Promentilla, president of the Department of Science and Technology – National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP), delivered a resolute call for graduates to carry their hard-earned hoods not as a badge of status, but as a mandate to bridge their expertise with the urgent needs of the Filipino people.
In his address, titled “The Hood We Carry,” Promentilla—a systems engineer and science-policy practitioner—reminded the new scholars that their colorful regalia is far more than a mere ornament. “The hood is a symbol of trust,” he declared, representing society’s mandate for graduates to seek the truth honestly and distinguish hard evidence from mere opinion.
He challenged the class to look beyond their specialized disciplines and become “bridge builders made of resilient bamboo”—individuals capable of weaving knowledge across disciplines, institutions, and local communities.
For Promentilla, the scholarly journey is defined by a higher purpose: “Research is not merely the search for answers. It is the disciplined imagination to see possibilities that others have not yet seen.”
A Vision Rooted in Stewardship
This “bridge-building” philosophy is the heartbeat of Promentilla’s leadership at the NRCP. For him, the Council is not only a government agency but a “steward institution” dedicated to nurturing a vibrant and inclusive research ecosystem.
Central to this mission is his drive to dismantle the perception of the Council as an elite “Imperial Manila” club. Promentilla—or “Pres. Mike” as NRCP staff call him—stated that he remains open to constructive criticism, welcoming such issues as a challenge to improve the Council’s regional representation and lessen bureaucratic processes.
He has crystallized this vision into his STEWARD Agenda, a seven-pillar roadmap designed to safeguard research excellence while extending the scientific reach of the Council from ‘Batanes to Tawi-Tawi’. As the NRCP’s ‘Inclusive Reformist,’ Promentilla remains resolute that researchers across the archipelago must no longer be peripheral participants, but essentially ‘co-architects of the national research agenda.’
Knowledge that Matters
Under Promentilla’s helm, this vision is already taking flight through practical, regionalized action. From pilot-testing the Support to the Regional Clusters (S2RC) program to decentralizing initiatives, the NRCP is actively dismantling the “Imperial Manila” perception of science.
His commitment to making science actionable is perhaps best seen in the Council’s strengthened “Research to Policy” feedback loop. Under his leadership, the NRCP recently broke new ground by formally opening its doors to legislators and policy researchers through Division I (Governmental, Educational, and International Policies). By inviting those who draft the nation’s laws to sit in the same room as those who conduct its research, he is ensuring that local knowledge moves “beyond publication and becomes action”.
In many ways, his closing address in Iligan served as a reflection of his own mission at the helm of the Council. Moreover, he highlighted three non-negotiable commitments for the modern scholar: curiosity, humility, and service.
“I think every researcher should not forget that,” he stressed, noting that while curiosity opens the mind and humility opens the door to others, it is service that gives knowledge its ultimate purpose.
“Carry [the hood] not as a burden of status, but as a calling to stewardship,” he urged, challenging the next generation of Filipino scholars to look past their titles and focus on a single, vital goal: to create knowledge that matters.
