CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- "Soar High DepEd San Fernando!"
Mayor Edwin Santiago, together with Dr. Imelda Macaspac, San Fernando Schools Division superintendent, aptly sang on Thursday, January 30, during the blessing and turnover ceremony of new buildings of the Deparment of Education (DepEd) in Barangay San Isidro, City of San Fernando.
Santiago, in his speech, congratulated all the teachers for the new facilities that include the new schools division building, division training center and City of San Fernando tech-voc senior high school building. He also reminisced the days when the city started to envision a better education facility.
"Before, we just envisioned a school building at the back of Sindalan, and now, look! Who would have thought we have this building now which is even more beautiful than our city hall. This only means that our education indeed is soaring high," the mayor said.
Santiago also asked the educators to be partners of the city in raising Fernandino children and be as steadfast as the visionary and missionary, Nelson Mandela.
"Let's invest in education and strengthen the foundation of our youth. Because without a strong foundation, they cannot stand firm. Knowledge is power, yes, but knowledge alone cannot make things possible. We need educators who will teach our youth how to use them right," Santiago said.
This was affirmed by Dr. Nicolas T. Capulong, regional director of DepEd Central Luzon, who challenged Fernandino teachers to "re-visit, re-learn, and re-tool their teaching methodology and content in aiming towards quality education."
Meanwhile, Macaspac expressed her gratitude to Santiago and said the new facilities will surely make their services more efficient and effective.
"I am expressing my huge thanks to our able mayor kasi siya talaga yung nag-isip at naghirap para dito. He made every Fernandino's dreams come into reality," Macaspac said.
The new schools division building is a two-story building with a number of offices and comfort rooms; the division training center has three floors with four training rooms, an amphitheatre, and comfort rooms; and a four-story senior high school tech-voc building with laboratory rooms and 20 lecture classrooms that can accommodate 40 students each.
According to the City Engineering Office (CEO), the said DepEd Compound has an aggregate land area of 20,000 square meters budgeted by the city and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
All three buildings and offices were blessed by Reverend Fr. Ramon V. Torres after the celebration of the Holy Eucharistic Mass.
The inauguration was also highlighted by the unveiling of the maquette, a small mural to commemorate the Fernandino teachers who stood up for justice and fairness in 1980.
The event coincided with the celebration of Teachers' Heroism Day, which is one of the activities for the 19th Cityhood Charter celebration of San Fernando, led by Architect Hermel Gulapa, Kaganapan 2020 executive committee chairperson. (PR)