To celebrate the successes of the Philippine higher education institutions (PHEIs) in championing Internationalization (IZN) consistent with the goals and objectives of CHED’s policy framework and strategies on the Internationalization of Philippine Higher Education per CMO No. 55, series of 2016, and recent Strategic Plan 2023-2028, the Commission conducted the Internationalization Champions of Nation-Building and Sustainability (ICONS) Awards 2023.

The event, initiated by the CHED International Affairs Staff (IAS), marked the PHEIs recognized by international ranking bodies. It also served as an avenue to acknowledge the high-impact initiatives of the PHEIs towards sustainability, ASEAN awareness, and internationalization.

For Davao Region, Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) was recognized as the Winner of the IZN Awards’ Outstanding International Education Program Award (Private HEIs Category) and Awardee for QS World and Asia Rankings. San Pedro College (SPC) was also the Winner of the Interactive Painting Category of the ASEANWave Webxhibition and Festival Awards and Finalist for the Academic Poster Category of the ASEANWave Webxhibition and Festival Award and IZN Awards’ Outstanding International Education Program Award (Private HEIs Category). The University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) was also a Finalist of the IZN Awards’ Global Citizenship Award (SUCs and LUCs Category) for its “College of Education Behind Bars” program.

In addition, the University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC), University of Mindanao (UM), and USeP were awarded for ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance (AUN-QA). At the same time, Davao del Norte State College (DNSC) and Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC) were finalists for the ASEANWave Webxhibition and Festival Awards (Poetry Category).

The ICON Awards 2023 is part of the Commission’s Building the Internationalization Competitiveness of Philippine Higher Education (BICPHE) Project, which underpins the key result areas of (1) An Elevated Reputation of Philippine Higher Education, (2) Stronger Internationalized HEIs, (3) Global, Future-Proof Citizens in and of Philippine
Higher Education, (4) Globally Aligned Higher Education Governance, Policies, and Standard.

The successful event was graced by CHED Chairman Hon. Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Commissioner Dr. Marita R. Canapi, IAS Director and OIC-Office of the Deputy Executive Director Atty. Lily Freida C. Macabangun-Milla, CESO IV, and other CHED Central and Regional Office Directors and Officials. It was participated by over 300 Ambassadors, Embassy Representatives and Educational Attaches, High-Level Executives of Top Performing PHEIs, and Local and International Partners in Higher Education at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City, on October 6, 2023.