President’s Corner

“A mountain has its peak, but beyond every mountain top are more peaks waiting to be ascended.”

A principle that mirrors the life of a man spanning almost three decades as an entrepreneur, a business leader, a manager, a professor, and now an administrator. Hailing from the heart of the Cordillera, he takes pride from his roots through his mother from Bauko in Mountain Province and his father from Kalinga where the brave warriors of the North and the living legend traditional tattoo artist, Apo Whang-od, dwell.

Growing from a family of entrepreneurs in Mt. Province, his ventures into the business world and eventually into the academe was not an easy feat for him. But this was made easy due to his strong exposure and backgrounds.

His diverse portfolio spanning from business to the academe was no different as his education alone was a testament of such diversity. More than a holder of three baccalaureate degrees, he is a master’s degree holder of two programs and a doctorate degree holder in two fields. What separates him perhaps from the thousands of graduates that Virgen Milagrosa University has produced is his loyalty having finished five programs in VMU. He finished:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in 2019
• Master of Business Administration in 2016
• Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education in 2005
• Master of Public Health in 2004
• BS Pharmacy in 1994

A truly proud Virgenian.

Not settling for a few peaks, he embarked on other fields by graduating BS Education in Business Technology at Pangasinan State University in 2005 and BS Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Baguio in 2015 thru the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEAP). His passion for culinary arts and hospitality services led him to pursue and complete additional certifications at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) in Manila and thus obtained his TESDA National Certifications for Hotel and Restaurant Services (HRS) / Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRMT). He also underwent financial management training at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) which aided his trainings also with Asia Pacific Tourism Training Institute.

Prior to joining the academe, he worked as the Managing Director of a family-owned corporation Mt. Province Cable Network and as General Manager of Cable Cafe. His success in the business world was thanks to his learnings from his mentor the Asian Dragon, Dr. Robert F. Kuan, who founded Chowking Food Corporation and served in various capacities in famous corporations such as Brent School International, Far Eastern University, China Bank, St. Lukes Hospital, Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Club for South-East Asia.

Banking from these, in 2005, he started from the ranks as Instructor I in Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC). For his wide range of experiences in entrepreneurship and restaurant services, he spearheaded the opening of then Hotel and Restaurant Services (HRS) and BS Tourism programs in the College which later became Hotel and Restaurant Management and Tourism (HRMT). Eventually, it became BS Hospitality and Tourism Management. The MPSPC management at that time was keen on discovering his potentials as it passionately tried to bring out the best in him. As the first chairperson of the newly established program, he went through the rigors of making the program relevant in the promotion of the economy in Mt. Province, boost the tourism industry and its related small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and address poor customers’ service and create job and employment opportunities for its graduates.

This was complemented by his leadership as the President of both the Mt. Province Association of Hotels, Inns, Restaurants, Eateries and Cafes (MHAHIREC) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI-MP). It proved true in contributing to the improvement of the tourism industry, creation of job, and employability of graduates as a result of what CHED calls it the convergence of “academe and industry”.

In recognition of this feat, he was also appointed as the Director for Business and External Affairs for seven years and eventually Director for National Service Training Program for two years. As BSHMT Chairperson and Director for Business and External Affairs, he introduced innovations such as the In-Plant Training Program which was recognized by CHED and NEDA Region 2 as well as by state universities and colleges (SUCs) in Cordillera Region in their “Touch Stones” projects as one of SUCs best practices or model.

Professionally, he participated and was recognized in various international academic and research conferences sponsored by the likes of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, ILS, and Asian Intellect. He also participated in different seminars and training covering customer relations, safety and health trainings, coffee education, indigenous peoples, entrepreneurship, tourism, culinary and hospitality trainings, among others apart from training in culinary and hospitality skills sponsored by organizations locally and internationally.

More than these, he copyrighted fourteen works from various research outputs ranging from tourism, food and beverage, indigenous cuisines, national service training program, and others. He has published research in international journals such as ILS Journal, Asian Intellect, and Transcendence Academic. He is also an author having published books on personality development, bar management, social graces, CWTS Manual, In-Plant Training, and other training manuals for trainers.

An accomplished entrepreneur, he was cited by various agencies for his contributions as an entrepreneur, a volunteer, a trainer-speaker, and a philanthropist through his social and voluntary civic works. He was commended by the Office of the President thru the Office of the Presidential Liaison.

In recognition of these peaks he climbed, he was cited in several award-giving bodies namely the 2020 International Education Summit and Awards in Bangkok, Thailand for his “outstanding contributions” in the field of education, the 2021 World Education Leaders Summit and Awards for his “exemplary leadership in education”, and the 2022 International Icon Awards as an “outstanding Professor for providing effective online classes”.

Thus, in 2015, he was promoted to Associate Professor II then Associate Professor V in 2019. In 2022, passing the National Professorial Accreditation (NAC) as Full-Pledged Accredited Professor, he now holds the rank as Professor II.

In September 2022, with a unanimous vote of all members of the governing Board of MPSPC, Dr. Edgar Gonzalo Cue was appointed as SUC President III by virtue of Resolution No. 90, s. 2022 thus becoming the 5th College President of Mountain Province State Polytechnic College.

As the new President of MPSPC, it befalls on his shoulders the responsibility to transform the College into a University as anchored on his vision to be “an internationally recognized higher education institution for cultural continuity and innovations that transforms lives and fosters sustainable development”. A few months into the top management position, Dr. Cue continues to mark a name for MPSPC in both national and international landscape as evidenced by its placement in Rank 201-300 in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), Top 1 state college in the Philippines with the highest number of Level III AACCUP accredited programs, and one of the few state universities and colleges (SUC) in the Philippines which was granted a hundred percent Certificates of Program Compliance (COPC).

Indeed, hail thee MPSPC!