“IT is imperative that we have credible and honest elections if we are to save democracy, if we are to bring stability and regain our nation’s pride brought about by the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal in the 2004 elections.”

Thus said retired Deputy Director General Reynaldo V. Velasco as he urged all sectors of government, particularly the public school teachers, to support the Philippine National Police’s Oplan H.O.P.E. (Honest, Orderly, Peaceful Elections) to give the country a fresh start and the chance to heal the nation’s wounds brought about by the marred 2004 national elections.

Speaking before hundreds of Pangasinan teachers at the Banaoang Central School in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan at the National Science Week, Velasco underscored the important role of pubic school teachers in nation building.

“Like most Pangasinenses with humble beginnings, I am a product of the public school system from the elementary and high schools in the town of Sta. Barbara. The province can be proud of producing outstanding professionals, including the 12th President of the Republic, Pangasinan’s favorite son Fidel V. Ramos,” Velasco said.

To further inspire teachers and educators, Velasco donated some copies of “In A Class of Her Own” authored by a relative, Melandrew Velasco, a book on the life and times of one of the most prominent public school teachers, the late Angela Valdez Ramos, mother of former President Ramos. She was an English teacher at the Pangasinan Vocational High School in Lingayen.

           To date, all other schools in Sta. Barbara have also become beneficiaries of this new school building project of the retired police general.

       Using the proven formula of making things happen through cooperative efforts, the school officials, the parents, the alumni, the community, the local government and Velasco succeeded in pooling resources worth P40-million to renovate and enlarge the facilities of both the elementary and high schools.

      “Perhaps, it is modest and safe to say, that both schools which have been recipients of infrastructure projects over the last five years are now “model schools in Pangasinan and Region 1 terms of infrastructure development,” Velasco added.

      In his speech, Velasco also addressed the three major concerns of teachers, namely: the upgrading of the pay scheme for public school teachers; Information Technology Training for teachers to keep them abreast with the changing times; and, more English Proficiency training to help the students cope with the challenge of 21st century education.

 

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