Child center ‘to make village small city’

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Sindalan village chief Arnel Sicat said over the weekend that following the groundbreaking for the Early Child Center for Development (ECCD) at the Bayanihan Center, the village is finally realizing its vision of becoming the City of San Fernando’s center for development.

Mayor Oscar Rodriguez and National Child Center for Development director Teresita Inchong branded Sindalan as the “small city” of San Fernando because of its location and established infrastructure, particularly education facilities.

“With the establishment of the ECCD, which is the first in Central Luzon and sixth nationwide, Sindalan would become the center of development not only in the city but the whole province. The ECCD will complement and complete our existing facilities,” he told Sun.Star Pampanga.

Among the existing facilities in the Sindalan Compound include the Alternative Learning System building, Women’s Crisis Center, Community Livelihood headquarters, day care center, barangay hall and multi-purpose covered court.

“The ECCD is now rising within the compound in a 100-square-meter lot. It is a two-storey building with enough space including a playground and training center for teachers, as well as provisions for what they call baby nesting. With its completion this August, our facilities would be almost complete to address educational needs,” Sicat said.

Rodriguez agreed and said that the selection of Sindalan as venue for ECCD meets the objective in terms of venue and location.

“This is very important project of the President. Sindalan with its ECCD makes it a small city within San Fernando thus, becoming a center of activities in the north. The facilities here are actually open to all who will need such services,” Rodriguez said. (Jovi T. De Leon)