SLSU Sets Second-Semester Direction through PADAYON 2026 Mid-Year Performance Review
Southern Leyte State University gathers its key officials and personnel on July 20, 2026, at the Ballroom of Hotel de SLSU for PADAYON 2026: Performance Assessment, Direction-Setting, and Alignment of Year-to-Date Outcomes and Next-Step Commitments | FY 2026 Mid-Year Performance Review and Strategic Target Recalibration.
The University Planning and Development Office organizes this University-wide activity, which provides a strategic platform to assess SLSU’s physical, financial, strategic, and institutional performance during the first six months of Fiscal Year 2026. The event enables the University’s academic, administrative, research, student-support, and campus units to examine their progress, identify areas that require intervention, and define their commitments for July to December 2026.
PADAYON 2026 anchors itself on the University’s accountability for delivering the physical targets and performance indicators prescribed under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act. It aligns with SLSU’s Strategic Development Plan 2025–2029, LUPAD: Ascending of the Mighty Kingfishers, which sets the University’s directions and institutional commitments in academic excellence, research and innovation, student support, administration and finance, governance, sustainability, and institutional development.
The activity reflects the meaning of the Cebuano word padayon—to continue, carry on, and move forward. More than a simple presentation of accomplishments, the review seeks to ensure that the University sustains its institutional momentum while making timely, evidence-based adjustments to its strategies, timelines, targets, accountabilities, and resource priorities.
University officials, vice presidents, campus directors, deans, directors, office heads, administrative officers, planning officers, budget officers, and other personnel involved in planning, implementation, monitoring, budgeting, and performance reporting participate in the assessment and direction-setting process.
The review covers the University’s physical performance; financial performance and budget utilization; academic affairs; research, innovation, publication, and extension; student engagement and support services; administration and finance; support-to-operations units; campus-level accomplishments; and progress toward the strategic and institutional targets under LUPAD.
In his message, University President Dr. Jude A. Duarte reminds participants that leaders must ultimately measure institutional performance through meaningful and measurable results.
“Department heads, always remember: deliver results, not just the way of doing the job. Hence, we are all here to plan and to execute better ways of doing our job based on how we performed during the past six months.”
Dr. Duarte emphasizes that the mid-year review should help every office determine where it performs well, where it falls short, and what actions it must undertake to improve performance during the second semester.
He encourages participants to assess their respective contributions honestly and constructively. “I hope everyone will self-assess,” he says, urging them to look back on what they started, recognize the people behind the accomplishments, and acknowledge the areas where they still need further improvement.
The President describes the University’s officials and personnel as the “essentials of SLSU” and its key players. He challenges them to ask themselves how they exert their efforts to attain their targets, how they can exceed their previous performance, and where their outputs fall below expectations.
Where targets have not been fully achieved, Dr. Duarte stressed the importance of developing realistic catch-up plans rather than allowing shortcomings to remain unaddressed. These interventions, he explained, should provide the University with clearer actions, responsibilities, and timelines for improving performance during the remaining months of the fiscal year.
At the same time, the President underscores the importance of protecting the well-being and motivation of University personnel. He cautions leaders against exhausting their teams, noting that fatigue and lost enthusiasm diminish focus, productivity, and commitment.
“Do not tire your people. We will always celebrate big and small wins.”
His message reflects a people-centered approach to leadership—one that recognizes that leaders must not pursue performance at the expense of employees’ energy, morale, and sense of purpose. Celebrating achievements, whether major or modest, reinforces motivation and encourages personnel to keep contributing to the University’s goals.
Dr. Duarte also highlights the role of passion in sustaining quality work and public service. Referring to a “burning love” for one’s work, he explains that genuine motivation transforms duties from routine obligations into meaningful service. He encourages SLSU personnel to nurture this passion as they continue serving the University, its students, and its stakeholders.
“Padayon SLSU sa inyong pag-alagad, pag-asikaso,” he told the participants – an appeal for the University community to continue in its service and care.
The President observes that SLSU grows increasingly dynamic because of the commitment of its personnel and the relationships that support collaboration across offices and campuses. He recognizes the University’s young, proactive, talented, and vibrant workforce as one of its strongest institutional assets, especially when other institutions face difficulties in securing dedicated personnel.
He also acknowledges the efforts of the University’s academic, research, extension, student-support, administrative, quality-assurance, sustainability, internationalization, and Gender and Development units. He notes that their contributions help strengthen SLSU’s programs and services despite limited physical and financial resources.
The performance review examines accomplishments against approved targets, the reasons behind performance variances, implementation bottlenecks, emerging risks, budget-utilization concerns, resource requirements, and the adequacy of existing strategies and timelines. It also provides an opportunity for concerned units to propose corrective interventions and catch-up measures for targets requiring accelerated action.
Expected institutional outputs include a validated assessment of first-semester physical and financial performance, an updated status of GAA and LUPAD targets, and a documented account of performance gaps, implementation risks, and priority concerns. The activity guides the finalization of corrective measures, catch-up plans, recalibrated second-semester targets, completion timelines, monitoring indicators, and clearly assigned accountabilities.
The University Planning and Development Office consolidates the review results and guides the concerned offices and campuses as they finalize their July-to-December targets and supporting commitments. These outputs contribute to the preparation of the Mid-Year Performance Review Report and the University’s institutional roadmap for the remainder of FY 2026.
Dr. Duarte concludes by reminding the participants that SLSU is more than a workplace. It is a shared home that requires collective responsibility, organization, and sound management.
“This is our second home,” he said. “At SLSU, together we are better. Let us make sure that our home is organized and well-managed, because this is the only home that we have.”
Through PADAYON 2026, Southern Leyte State University reinforces its commitment to evidence-based decision-making, results-oriented leadership, institutional accountability, and continuous improvement. By examining its first-semester performance and recalibrating its directions for the next six months, SLSU positions its offices and campuses to move forward with stronger coordination, renewed motivation, and a shared commitment to deliver better services and outcomes for its students and stakeholders.