Written by Wilhelm Brighton B. Wallang | Photo by Alexandra L. Tolyaden
BAGUIO CITY — The University of Baguio’s School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety (UB-SCJPS), through its Color Guard Organization, rendered ceremonial service during the Oathtaking Ceremonies of the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET) Baguio-Benguet Mt. Province Chapter (BBMP). The objective was straightforward: uphold the solemnity of professional licensure, so that every newly sworn medical technologist steps into their career with the gravity it deserves. In recognition of this commitment, PAMET BBMP conferred the Kabaddang Award upon both the University of Baguio and the UB-SCJPS on October 26, 2025, during the organization’s 55th Founding Anniversary and 19th Chapter Conference — Pagpupugay: Gabi ng Parangal at Pasasalamat — at the Ion Hotel, Legarda Road, Baguio City.
Participants and Partners
The UB-SCJPS Color Guard Organization served as the primary institutional participant. Its Honor Guards, together with the Marshalls — who are practicum interns of the School of Criminal Justice and Public Safety — were deployed across multiple PAMET BBMP Oathtaking Ceremonies throughout the academic year. Each deployment was a coordinated effort, not a one-time gesture. PAMET BBMP, as the partner organization, is the regional chapter representing medical technology professionals across Baguio City, Benguet, and the Mountain Province. Their oathtaking ceremonies mark the formal entry of newly licensed practitioners into the profession — events that demand order and institutional gravity. The Color Guard’s presence supplied exactly that.
Sustainable Development Goal Alignment
SDG 3 — Good Health and Well-Being (SDG Indicator 3.8.1): Medical technologists are at the front lines of diagnostic care — detecting and reporting conditions that drive patient treatment. By maintaining discipline and order during each induction, the Color Guard upheld the credibility of a process that directly shapes the quality of health practitioners entering the workforce, advancing SDG 3.8.1 on the coverage and integrity of essential health services.
SDG 4 — Quality Education (SDG Indicator 4.7.1): The criminology and forensic science students who served as honor guards — and the SCJPS practicum interns who served as marshals — gained field experience that no classroom replicates. The students found the context particularly relevant, as their training demands the same procedural exactness a well-run oathtaking requires. For the intern-marshals, practicum hours were fulfilled alongside a recognized healthcare body rather than a single justice agency — a cross-sector exposure few placements provide. Both groups embodied SDG 4.7.1, the promotion of experiential learning and global citizenship through genuine public service engagement.
SDG 16 — Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG Indicator 16.6.2): An oathtaking is a public act of institutional accountability. The Color Guard’s disciplined presence reinforced public trust in PAMET’s induction process — and, by extension, in the medical technology profession’s standards. This directly supports SDG 16.6.2, which measures citizen confidence in government-regulated bodies and formally recognized organizations.
SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals (SDG Indicator 17.17.1): The UB-SCJPS and PAMET BBMP share no budget, curriculum, or career track — only a commitment to serving the community well. The Color Guard’s in-kind contribution of trained personnel and consistent deployment across events is precisely the kind of multi-stakeholder engagement SDG 17.17.1 calls for in building sustainable, cross-sector partnerships.
Impact of the Partnership
The immediate result was evident: oathtaking ceremonies conducted with the order and dignity their significance demands. Newly licensed medical technologists and their families experienced an induction worthy of the commitment being made. For the UB-SCJPS, the repeated deployments broadened students’ field exposure beyond law enforcement contexts into the world of regulated health professions — a rare and practical form of applied learning. For PAMET BBMP, the collaboration produced a dependable institutional ally. The Kabaddang Award formalized what the partnership had already become. What the two organizations have built is replicable — a working model of cross-sector cooperation that other professional bodies and academic schools in the Cordillera region can follow.
