NEW SCHOOLS TO RAISE BUSINESS LEADERS

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) will be putting up schools in Panabo City and Davao City, respectively

The establishment of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) professional schools in Davao Region is expected to improve the business sector through academic training, an executive said.

Sharlene Faye Lim, LTS Malls Inc. president, said during the Urban Land Institute Philippines Forum at NCCC Mall Buhangin that the establishment of the schools will help create business leaders in Mindanao without going far and pay higher expenses in Manila.

Lim said the entry of schools like UA&P is a way of promoting Davao and bringing more developments outside the National Capital Region (NCR) to the regions.

Lim said there are a lot of people in Davao who wanted to pursue their education but cannot go to Metro Manila because it is too far.

“There are many things happening here in Davao and there are a lot of people who need that education,” Lim added.

UA&P Business Schools will become part of the eight-hectare NCCC mixed-use community in Panacan, Davao City.

Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines – Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment (UP-PSAE) of the UPLB will be located in the 88-hectare mixed-used Agriya complex in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. Agriya is an agricultural compound project of Damosa Land, the real estate arm of Anflo Investment and Management Corp. (Anflocor).

“Well you know in our case, one thing we always told to ourselves is why would we send our best and brightest minds outside Mindanao if we can retain them here?” Damosa Land Inc.(DLI) vice president Ricardo F. Lagdameo said during the forum.

Lagdameo added that it will only be fitting to have a premier agricultural academic institution like UPLB in Panabo City, with its economy largely driven by agriculture.

DLI donated about 32,000 square meters for the school while UPLB is spending about P271 million for the infrastructure.