THE University of the Philippines (UP) will be building its Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment (UP-PSAE) in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
The UP-PSAE extension campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Mindanao will be constructed on a 31,800 square meter (sq.m) property located near Agriya in Brgy. Cagangohan, Panabo City. The property, where the school will be built, was donated by Anflo Management and Investment Corporation (Anflocor) and Damosa Land Inc (Damosa).
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, April 21, to signify the start of the project.
The event was attended by notable people, such as UP President Angelo Jimenez, UP Chancellor for UPLB Jose Camacho Jr., and Anflo Group of Companies President for Real Estate and Construction Group Ricardo "Cary" Lagdameo.
Jimenez, who is the current and first Mindanaoan UP president, said the professional school is a “dream come true” for him, as the idea of putting up a professional school started way back when former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte appointed him as a member of the UP board of regents.
“This is one of the first issues that came to the table, and I was excited about it... I was very happy [that time, and now], I feel so privileged to see this come to fruition,” Jimenez said.
“And I look forward to seeing it through as a thriving, relevant, and inspiring reality, an example of cooperation with academe and industry and people as well,” Jimenez added.
Meanwhile, UPLB chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. said UPLB is thrilled to bring a quality educational system in agriculture and environment and to produce knowledgeable personnel for the agriculture and environmental sector.
"We wish to contribute to human resources in these universities, not just in universities but also public and private institutions like in the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” Camacho said.
Camacho added the UP-PSAE Mindanao annex should entice more foreign students interested in agriculture and the environment, especially along the BIMP-Eaga (Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East Asean Growth Area) region.
“We’ve been hosting many students, especially from the Southeast Asian Nation, a lot of them from Indonesia, because of their scholarships from the government, we’re once asked if these can be offered in Mindanao kasi mas malapit daw sila... yung mga BIMP-EAGA (countries),” Camacho said.
The school aims to provide postgraduate programs and short-term programs through blended learning, including environmental science, environmental planning, food engineering, and others.