BINMALEY—The local government is at loggerheads with the Department of Education (DepEd) over the utilization of land owned by the LGU to accommodate both a proposed mall building and a renovated school campus.

Mayor Simplicio Rosario has expressed support for the establishment of a shopping arcade that will require 2,300 square meters (sq.m.) in land area inside the almost 17,000 sq.m. lot that the Binmaley 1 Central School presently occupies.

“What Primark Mall is asking for is only about 2,300 sq. meters lot and what will remain as Binmaley 1 Central School compound is 5,110 square meters. But what DepEd wants is to keep 10, 000 square meters,” Rosario told reporters.

“The lot is owned by the municipal government of Binmaley and we only accommodated the Binmaley 1 Central School in that property but look, DepEd is now the one that dictates how many square meters it should have,” the mayor added.

“Is this fair and just?” he asked.

He said LKY Group of Companies, owner of Primark Mall, has even offered to replace dilapidated 40-year-old school buildings with new three-storey buildings to be constructed at no cost to DepEd and the municipal government if the plan materializes.

It also committed to provide annual funds for the town’s scholarship program.

“I appeal to DepEd. Let us not be short-sighted. Let us see the future of the children and let us go with the flow of progress,” Rosario said.

Rosario said he is saddened by DepEd’s refusal to support his thrust to boost local economy, provide local employment and build more decent school buildings conducive to teaching and learning.

In a letter dated Sept. 14, 2017 of lawyer Howard Chan addressed to Secretary Leonor Briones, the DepEd Regional office led by Director Alma Ruby Torio, expressed its opposition to the plan citing the need for 10,000 square meters lot for the school.

DepEd said the plan only leaves 300 sq.m. of play area for the elementary school children.

“Although the children will have modern school buildings, their ability to play in school will be significantly affected,” Torio’s letter said.

The letter also said that if this proposal gets approved, “it will surely open the floodgates for more requests and motions for reconsideration for previously denied requests”.

The mayor pointed out that the opposition contradicts the endorsement of the plan by Pangasinan 1 Schools Division Supt. Celia Junio-Fernandez with certain conditions, among them: that DepEd Order No. 107, s20 on the procedure for the demolition of buildings is followed, that the construction of new school buildings will be finished at the shortest possible time, and the location of the new buildings will be in accordance with the existing school site development plan.

Rosario offered as a win-win solution, the donation of the 5,110 sq. m. lot to Binmaley 1 Central School if DePEd agrees to the proposal. (Eva Visperas)

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