Time was when university education meant leaving the comfort of home and going to key cities for aspiring high school graduates, particularly those growing up in remote communities.
And what had made it difficult for many has been the fact that college life in the city more financial burden for parents who had to shell out more funds for housing and food accommodations, which often required an amount bigger than actual school-related expenses.
Since state universities and colleges – like Central Philippines State University, Carlos Hilado Memorial State University, State University of Northern Negros and even the Iloilo City-based West Visayas State University – expanded to provide higher education opportunities in the grassroots of the province, many young Negrenses have now the option to stay close to home while pursuing higher education.
Initially, many of the campuses provided facilities reflective of their limited funding, which, often, was dependent also on funding from the local government unit.
With the Commission on Higher Education’s resolve to strengthen SUC programs, particularly those in the countrysides, facilities have been largely improved to benefit students, faculty and the university communities.
A welcome development was the inauguration of two buildings on the Cauayan campus of CPSU, which has the most number of campuses – in 10 towns and cities – among SUCs in the province, thanks to the visionary efforts of former university president, Freddie Maningo, who opened these campuses during his term.
The two CPSU – Cauayan facilities inaugurated on July 12 are the two-storey Academic Building and the Covered Court.
Dr. Mark Alexei Caesar Badajos, CPSU vice president for finance and administration, who led university officials in the inauguration, said the Academic Building costs P22 million while P5M was spent for the construction of the Covered Court.
Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara, in a report carried by the CPSU Information Office website, assured the university officials of his as well as that of the vice mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan “the 100% support for the CPSU plans and programs.”
The mayor also called on the faculty to continue serving the students with excellence and upholding the common vision of providing better quality education.
Dr. Badajos said the Academic Building has six classrooms with movable partitions that can be converted to two function rooms that can each accommodate 120 persons.
The building has two faculty rooms, each with toilet facilities, four comfort rooms in each floor for males, females, all genders and PWDs, he added.
Dr. Badajos underscored that the new facilities “are a manifestation that dreams do come true”, particularly with hard work, perseverance and cooperation.
Dr. Badajos and Dr. Jimmy Degillo, VP for extension and community services, lauded Dr. Gemma Borres, CPSU Cauayan administrator for the completion of the project.
Rev. Fr. Paolo Eseller, St. Paul’s parish priest, blessed the buildings during the rites, which were also attended by representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Uswag Ilonggo Party list and the LGU as well as CPSU Main Campus officials, the CPSU PIO website further reported.
***
I got wind of the Cauayan Campus infrastructure development when I went last week to the CPSU Main Campus in Camingawan, Kabankalan City to speak in the training conducted by SEARICE, the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment.
The training was conducted for leaders and information officers of farmer association beneficiaries of Bago and Kabankalan cities and partner institutions, like CPSU.
At the training, I met the CPSU Information Office staff, led by its head, Shiela Escodial, and website in-charge Jan-jan Jurilla, John Gabriel Gestosani and Samuel Talenik.
Other CPSU participants were Marie Dame Earl Waldato, director of the Intellectual Property Management Office; Sidney Ermeo, project assistant of the Production and Enterprise Development Office; Rosalie Gargoles of Management Information System and Roseni Polido.
The trip was an occasion to get to know SEARICE Executive Director Normita Ignacio and renew ties with fellow information officer Olive Seruelo, now SEARICE program officer for Visayas, and reconnect with my townmate Potchie Taba, also a SEARICE staff member.
***
How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! (Proverbs 16; 16) | NWI
