The University of San Carlos (USC), the USC Water Resources Center Foundation, Inc. (USC WRCFI), Universite’ de Mons (UMONS), and the Universite’ Catholique de Louvain (UCL) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to collaborate in a five-year long research program on October 15, 2024. 

The five-year research study is entitled, “From groundwater to water consumption: Multidisciplinary ChARacterization to support sustainable AQuifer exploitation in the COastaL metropolitan area of the Philippines (CARAQCOL).” 

The research program, which started on September 15, 2024 and will end on October 15, 2029, is funded by the Academy of Research and Higher Education (ARES), a research funding agency of the Belgian government. 

One of the program’s goals is to strengthen groundwater expertise to address critical needs within the Cebu water sector, through a collaborative, multi-stakeholder, and multidisciplinary knowledge-building process.

Present in the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement are Fr. Francisco Antonio Estepa, SVD (USC President), Dr. Rosana J. Ferolin (Dean, USC School of Engineering), Engr. Janice B. Jamora (Chair, USC Department of Civil Engineering), Fr. Rogelio Bag-ao, SVD (SVD PHS Provincial Superior), Engr. Ma. Nenita Jumao-as (WRCFI Director), Dr. Amando Radomes (CARAQCOL’s South Coordinator), and Prof. Pascal Goderniaux, (CARAQOL’s North Coordinator and Head, Universite’ de Mons).

With reporting from Engr. Kathrina Marie Borgonia, M.S., Department of Civil Engineering