Ateneo, Light Rail Manila Corporation sign collaboration agreement

Ateneo de Manila University and Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) formalized their collaboration through the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) held at the Baclaran depot of LRT-1 on 3 December 2022. Ateneo was represented by Dr. Maria Luz C. Vilches, Vice President for the Loyola Schools (VPLS), while LRMC was represented by Mr. Juan F. Alfonso (BS MGT ‘92), President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LRMC. Dr. Raphael A. Guerrero, Dean of the School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) and Engr. Rolando J. Paulino III (MBA ‘05), LRMC Chief Operating Officer (COO) also signed the agreement as witnesses.

Ateneo, through SOSE, and LRMC have already been collaborating in several areas, even before signing this formal agreement.  For instance, Mr. Alfonso sits on the advisory board of the Ateneo Research Institute of Science and Engineering (ARISE), where he contributes guidance and industry experience to the direction and thrusts of ARISE. Another case in point is the Department of Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering (ECCE) consulting with LRMC engineers in the development of its proposals for interdisciplinary electives.  This effort is led by the ECCE faculty team in charge of new transportation and railway engineering courses and programs. Team members Drs. King Harold A. Recto and Robert Alfie S. Peña represented the ECCE department as part of the Ateneo delegation that visited the depot for the signing.

The MOA will serve as a framework for cooperation between Ateneo and LRMC, covering research and academic engagements of the two parties toward national capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and promotion of technological innovation in the field of railway transportation. Ateneo will be able to take advantage of LRMC’s subject matter expertise in the design and delivery of transportation and railway engineering courses and programs. In particular, Ateneo students will be able to train and develop skills at LRMC as interns. In addition, faculty members will have access to important real-life problems and data, on which they can base innovative transportation solutions through joint research with LRMC personnel. The MOA thus serves as a significant milestone for closer collaboration between Ateneo and LRMC. Dr. Guerrero expressed his hope for this to serve as a model university-industry partnership for Ateneo where fruits of academic research and development will find application and use in the private sector and promote national development.