USM Department of Psychology

28/10/2026

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐎𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐤-𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝟔𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐀𝐏 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒐 𝑪𝒊𝒕𝒚– Prof. Khadiguia Ontok Balah from the University of Southern Mindanao presented her research paper at the 62nd Annual Conference of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP), held at the Ateneo de Davao University Senior High School last September 26, 2026. Her study, titled “𝑆𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝐸𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛“, was featured under the Faith, Rituals, and Resilience oral presentation category.

The paper reviewed existing studies to understand how Islamic values education supports students’ social emotional growth. Prof. Ontok Balah shared key findings before fellow psychology researchers and educators during the session. Her work adds new insights linking faith based education and psychological well being for Filipino learners.

We congratulate her on participating in the national conference that brings recognition to the institution and the psychology department. Her work highlighted active involvement in scholarly research and professional practice that helps broaden its contribution to the discipline. 💚

28/09/2026

26/09/2026

𝐔𝐒𝐌 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐀𝐏𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 🧠✨

Our department faculty members, together with 𝑴𝒚𝒌𝒂 𝑰𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝑷. 𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂, 𝑴𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒎, 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝑽. 𝑳𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆, 𝑷𝒉𝑫, 𝑴𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒎, 𝑲𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑱𝒐𝒚 𝑩. 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒂-𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒐, 𝑷𝒉𝑫(𝒄), 𝑴𝑺𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑪𝑺𝑪𝑳𝑷, 𝑪𝑺𝑨𝑷, 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒂 𝑶. 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒉, 𝑷𝒉𝑫(𝒄), 𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑻, 𝑴𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒎, 𝑳𝑷𝑻, and 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒂 𝑻. 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒚, 𝑴𝑺𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒔𝒚, 𝑹𝑷𝒎, recently attended the 𝟔𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 (𝐏𝐀𝐏) held from September 24–26, 2026 at the SMX Convention Center, Davao City, and Ateneo de Davao University with this year’s theme "𝐸𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒: 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑."

This three (3) day national gathering allowed our faculty members to engage with leading mental health professionals, discover emerging research, and renew their clinical and academic practices. This event, attended by our faculty members, truly reflects our commitment to continuous learning and to delivering progressive, relevant education aligned with national and global standards.

We commend our faculty for their unwavering commitment to academic excellence and professional growth! 💚

23/09/2026

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧!!

Today, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) officially released the results of the recent Psychometrician Licensure Examination (PmLE) held last September 1–2, 2026, and September 17–18, 2026 for Pampanga.

The Department of Psychology is proud to announce the stellar results achieved by its graduates, highlighted by 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐀𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐈, who earned the 𝐓𝐨𝐩 6 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 nationwide with a rating of 93.20%.

The University of Southern Mindanao (USM) outperformed the 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 91.72%, recording an 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 98.39% where 59 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 60 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬 (98.33%) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 2 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 2 (100%) 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝.

The Department extends its warmest congratulations to all of our new board passers! Your success brings immense pride to the entire USM community.

✍️: Department of Psychology
💻: CJ Bobadilla

23/09/2026

The Department of Psychology proudly celebrates its faculty members recognized at the recent 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄) at the University of Southern Mindanao on September 21, 2026.

The PRAISE program honors university employees and units for outstanding contributions to research, development, and extension. Among this year’s honorees:

𝐊𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐲 𝐁. 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚-𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐨, 𝐌𝐒𝐏𝐬𝐲, 𝐑𝐏𝐬𝐲, 𝐂𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐏, 𝐂𝐒𝐀𝐏 received a 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐰𝐨 (2) 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬; 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐚 𝐓. 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐒𝐏𝐬𝐲, 𝐑𝐏𝐬𝐲, 𝐑𝐏𝐦 received a 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 between January 2025 and August 2026.

These awards show the department’s commitment to research productivity and intellectual property registration that enriches our academic programs, ensuring that students learn from active scholars who bring fresh insights and evidence-based practice straight into the classroom.

✍️: Department of Psychology
💻: CJ Bobadilla

13/08/2026

13/08/2026

18/05/2026

𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗮 𝗢𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗸-𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗵

Khadiguia Ontok-Balah is a psychology educator and researcher known for her work in educational psychology, social and emotional competence, and culturally responsive education. She earned her Master of Arts in Psychology from the Ateneo de Davao University and is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology major in Educational Psychology at the De La Salle University. Her research interests include social and emotional competence (SEC), Islamic education, mental health and well-being, peacebuilding, and community empowerment.

She has received recognition for her scholarly and extension work, including the Best Paper Presentation Award during the CAS In-House Review in 2009, the 2nd Best Paper Award at the 2nd International Conference on Educational Management in Indonesia in 2017, and being named a finalist for the Bangsamoro Peace Champion Award 2024. Her advocacy centers on education, psychosocial support, livelihood development, and culturally grounded community programs that promote resilient and peaceful communities.

02/10/2025

𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐭!

Last September 24–25, 2025, the licensure examinations for Psychometricians and Psychologists were administered nationwide. Today, the Professional Regulation Commission has officially released the results, and the Department of Psychology proudly celebrates the remarkable achievement of its graduates, who garnered 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, and an overall 𝟴𝟵.𝟮𝟵% 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲—surpassing the 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 of 𝟴𝟲.𝟵𝟵%.

This success stands as a testament to the department’s unwavering commitment to quality education, guided mentorship, and a holistic approach in preparing students for the profession. It also reflects the perseverance, resilience, and dedication of our graduates, who carry with them not only knowledge and skills but also the heart to serve society.

The Department of Psychology extends its warmest congratulations to all our successful examinees. Your accomplishment is a source of pride and inspiration—not only for your peers but also for the students who follow in your footsteps, proving that with passion and dedication, excellence is always within reach.

✍️: Department of Psychology
💻: Aisa Dalam