Capitol turns over P17.9-M Agripreneurship building to PSAU

MAGALANG – The Provincial Government of Pampanga led by Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda turned over an “Agripreneurship” building to the Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) here which was inaugurated the other day.

The turn-over and inauguration coincided with the University’s thanksgiving day celebration.

Named Governor Lilia “Nanay” G. Pineda Agripreneursip Building and built by RM Vitug Construction, supervised by the Provincial Engineer’s Office, the inauguration of the new building worth P17,794,567.01 was witnessed by Commission on Higher Education officer-in-charge Commissioner Prospero E. De Vera III,

Magalang Mayor Maria Lourdes Lacson, Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo, Vice-Mayor Norman Lacson, and Board Members Olga Frances DavidDizon, Cherry Manalo, Benjamin Jocson, and Gabriel Moshe Lacson.

In her speech, Governor Pineda said that adding new buildings in state universities and colleges (SUCs) is timely for them to accommodate the influx of students after the free tuition law.

“I told Commissioner De Vera that we have to add more classrooms to our SUCs for us to accommodate those who want to study because of the free tuition law,” she said.

She also promised new facilities to compliment the new building and a service vehicle for the professors of PSAU.

University President Doctor Honorio Soriano, Jr. thanked the governor for her unwavering support to PSAU. He also said that the building will be a big part of their effort to achieve entrepreneurial agriculture as a driver for inclusive economic growth in the communities.

“We have to make agriculture as an enterprise. It should be a business and that is why we are making agriculture as an active economic driver to achieve inclusive growth in rural communities,” he added.

Soriano also said that the governor is pushing the university for agricultural modernization programs for the province.

Commissioner De Vera said that House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo requested for his presence in PSAU to witness the inauguration of the new building. He added that the new building will ensure the university’s journey to become a worldclass university in agriculture.

He also bannered one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s legacies in signing Republic Act 10931 or the Free Tuition Law that made the Philippines the first developing country to pass a law giving free education to college students.

It is to be remembered last year that PSAU conferred Doctor of Humanities to Governor Pineda upon the recommendation of the PSAU Academic Council in accordance with the Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 19, series of 2014.

PSAU gave the governor the said doctorate degree because of her service to the public for over 27 years. The university recognized Governor Pineda’s efforts in revolutionizing the province’s public health system through the improvement of government facilities as well as the implementation of numerous programs and projects which benefitted the public, especially the poor and marginalized sector.— Philip Ocampo/ Pampanga PIO