MAGALANG, Pampanga – The Provincial Government of Pampanga led by Governor Lilia Nanay Pineda turned over an Agripreneurship building to Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) here which was simultaneously inaugurated yesterday.
The turn-over and inauguration was coincided with the University’s Thanksgiving Day celebration.
Named Governor Lilia “Nanay” G. Pineda Agripreneursip Building and built by RM Vitug Construction, supervised by the Provincial Engineer’s Office, the inauguration of the new building worth P 17,794,567.01 was witnessed by Commission on Higher Education officer-in-charge Commissioner Prospero E. De Vera III, Magalang Mayor Maria Lourdes Lacson, Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo, Vice-Mayor Norman Lacson, and Board Members Olga Frances David-Dizon, Cherry Manalo, Benjamin Jocson, and Gabriel Moshe Lacson.
In her speech, Governor Pineda said that adding new buildings in state universities and colleges (SUCs) is timely for them to accommodate the influx of students after the free tuition law.
“I told Commissioner De Vera that we have to add more classrooms to our SUCs for us to accommodate those who want to study because of the free tuition law,” she said.
She also promised new facilities to compliment the new building and a service vehicle for the professors of PSAU.
University President Doctor Honorio Soriano, Jr. thanked the governor for her unwavering support to PSAU. He also said that the building will be a big part of their effort to achieve entrepreneurial agriculture as a driver for inclusive economic growth in the communities.
“We have to make agriculture as an enterprise. It should be a business and that is why we are making agriculture as an active economic driver to achieve inclusive growth in rural communities,” he added.
Soriano also said that the governor is pushing the university for agricultural modernization programs for the province.
Commissioner De Vera said that House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo requested for his presence in PSAU to witness the inauguration of the new building. He added that the new building will ensure the university’s journey to become a world-class university in agriculture.
He also bannered one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s legacies in signing the Republic Act 10931 or the Free Tuition Law that made the Philippines the first developing country to pass a law giving free education to college students.
It is to be remembered last year that PSAU conferred Doctor of Humanities to Governor Pineda upon the recommendation of the PSAU Academic Council in accordance with the Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 19, series of 2014.
PSAU gave to the governor the said doctorate degree because of her service to the public for over 27 years. The university recognized Governor Pineda’s efforts in revolutionizing the province’s public health system through the improvement of government facilities as well as the implementation of numerous programs and projects which benefitted the public, especially the poor and marginalized sector. –PHILIP OCAMPO | Pampanga PIO