Senator Loren joins to save BCS’ Gabaldon Bldg.
COJUANGCO UPDATES
BAYAMBANG—Senator Loren Legarda is joining the Save Bayambang Central School campaign backed by her advocacy for the restoration of century-old Gabaldon building of the school and all others across the country.
Legarda’s commitment to restore the Bayambang Central School’s Gabaldon building is in response to a request from the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) coursed through the Samahang Industriya at Agrikultura (SINAG) led by its president Engr. Rosendo So.
So said that Legarda’s advocacy for the restoration of Gabaldon school buildings in the country is not only as part of heritage conservation but also to continue to use them for their original purpose, as places of learning.
Engr. Rosendo So of SINAG with Sen. Loren Legarda
Legarda said, “These structures symbolize the first foundation of the Philippine public school system during the American colonial regime, in which each Filipino child, even from the most remote areas in the country, had access to formal education.”
She added that as heritage structures, the Gabaldon buildings represent historic, architectural and socio-political significance to the country.
“As we teach the Filipino youth our nation’s culture and history, we should also inculcate in them the respect for things that form part of our heritage,” she said.
The Save Bayambang Central School is gaining ground after the PTA lodged protests against their forced relocation to Barangay Bical last year due to reported dengue and flooding incidents that paved the way to a controversial land swap deal between the old school site in Poblacion to its new location in Bical. This battle has reached the court but several concerned citizens, including the alumni, joined hands in rehabilitating the abandoned old school site.
No less than Senator Cynthia Villar, also through the initiative of SINAG, turned over last week 200 armchairs for use in the old school site. Former Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco also extended P1-million financial assistance while SINAG gave P400,000 to bankroll the repair of dilapidated classrooms of the Bayambang Central School.
Other concerned citizens responded to the call and pledged to provide armchairs, teachers’ tables and chairs, repair of the facilities, among others.
The school’s century- old Gabaldon building was damaged by fire in 2012 that was suspected to have been a case of arson. This would be part of a congressional inquiry through House Resolution Number 1669 authored by Abono party-list Rep. Francisco Emmanuel Ortega III filed on Nov. 19, seeking a probe, in aid of legislation, on the propriety and legality on the transfer of Bayambang Central School (BCS) from its original site in Poblacion to Barangay Bical.
The Gabaldon school buildings were designed by American architect William Parsons and funded through Act No. 1801 authored by Philippine Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon.
Legarda also filed Senate Resolution 800, asking the Senate to inquire about the status of the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) heritage school building restoration program as contained under Memorandum Order No. 164 Series of 2009 where the DepEd created the Task Force on Heritage School Buildings to determine the heritage school houses across all regions and be responsible for their restoration.
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