THE Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology (Nonescost) celebrated its 20th Foundation Day on January 9 and 10 with the theme “Towards a shared vision: One Family, One Community, One Heart for Quality and Excellent Education.”
The celebration, held at the school campus in Barangay Old Sagay, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, kicked off with a thanksgiving mass followed by the ribbon-cutting and blessing of exhibits and new projects.
A caravan participated by faculty and staff, and students from different colleges was also held on the first day.
During the opening program, Dr. Romulo Sisno, college president, in his speech told Nonescostians that focusing on excellence takes time thus, they should work hard and think carefully.
Sisno said he is also looking forward for Nonescost to be converted into SUN Negros or State University of Northern Negros, and become a leading state university.
Indeed, a bright future ahead for the only state college in Northern Negros and the only science and technology state college in Negros Occidental, which humbly started as the Old Sagay Barangay High (OSBHS) in 1970.
In 1978, OSBHS was converted into a municipal high school, and in the same year, then Mayor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Dr. Elpidio Icamina, president of the Iloilo State College of Fisheries (Iscof) in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo signed the historic memorandum of agreement that transformed OSBHS into an extension campus of Iscof.
Then on January 9, 1998, Republic Act 8448 became a law converting the Iscof-Sagay Branch into Nonescost.
The law was authored and sponsored also by Marañon, who was then the representative of the province’s Second District.
Marañon, who is now the governor of Negros Occidental, earned the distinction as the “Father of Nonescost.”
(Photos by Lino Ledesma and Roma Gutierrez)