Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) – Tacloban City Jail Female Dormitory formalized their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Weaving Algario by Women – Persons Deprived of Liberty (WAW-PDL) Project, an extension project of EVSU under the umbrella program Weaving by Algario.
Implemented through the Natural Textile Fiber Innovation Hub (NTFIH), the WAW-PDL Project serves as a community-based technology transfer initiative for Algario Weave™, a registered utility model owned by Eastern Visayas State University. The project translates the university’s intellectual property and textile innovation into an applied extension intervention, bringing the technology beyond the university setting and into a community-based skills development and livelihood context.
The MOA was signed by EVSU President Dennis C. De Paz, Ph.D.; Dr. Sheldon Ives G. Agaton, Vice President for the Office of Research, Innovation, and Extension Services (ORIES); Rustom D. Clemente, MSIT, Director for Extension Services; Bernard Niño Q. Membrebe, MDM, Director for Research; Ma. Stefanie I. Caintic, MBA, Head of the Natural Textile Fiber Innovation Hub (NTFIH); SJ04 Judith B. Balanay, Jail Warden of the Tacloban City Jail Female Dormitory; and SJ02 Angelica Ann A. Salomon, Welfare Development Officer.
The partnership brings together EVSU and BJMP to provide women Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) with opportunities to acquire weaving and textile-related skills, nurture creativity, develop livelihood-oriented competencies, and explore potential income-generating activities. Through the technology transfer of Algario Weave™, the project introduces a university-developed innovation into a real community setting where participants can learn the process, develop practical competencies, and potentially apply the technology in productive and livelihood-oriented activities.
WAW-PDL forms part of the broader Weaving by Algario program, which utilizes Algario Weave™ as a platform for technology transfer, skills development, community engagement, and extension. The program builds upon the innovation’s development within EVSU and extends its application through partnerships with identified communities and beneficiaries. In this context, WAW-PDL represents the program’s application within a custodial and rehabilitation setting, adapting the technology-transfer process to the needs and circumstances of women PDL.
More than a skills-training activity, WAW-PDL demonstrates how university-generated intellectual property can be translated into meaningful community extension. By connecting research and innovation, intellectual property, technology transfer, and extension, the project creates a pathway through which an EVSU-developed technology can generate social and livelihood-oriented value beyond the university.
The partnership likewise reflects the shared commitment of EVSU and BJMP to support the rehabilitation, self-reliance, personal development, and eventual reintegration of women PDL into society. Through skills development and exposure to a technology with potential livelihood applications, the project seeks to contribute to productive engagement, creativity, and economic preparedness.
Through Weaving by Algario, every strand becomes more than a material—it becomes a vehicle for transferring knowledge, sharing innovation, building skills, and creating opportunities. WAW-PDL ultimately demonstrates how university innovation can move from intellectual property to community impact, weaving together technology, extension, empowerment, and social transformation.
This article is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 09: Industry, Innovation, Technology and Infrastructure; SDG 10: Reduced Inequality; SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goal
