ANGELES CITY – It will not be easy to convert the land vacated by Chevalier School from institutional into a commercial area.
This was the assurance made by councilor Joseph Alfie Bonifacio, chair of the sangguniang panlungsod committee on education, to Chevalier School Alumni Association (CSAA) during the committee hearing Thursday at the Legislative Building here on the “Educational Stability of Chevalier School.”
Bonifacio said even if the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando (RCASF) will have its way, it won’t easily be able to convert the school grounds into a commercial area.
No position on the matter pertaining to any position of the RSAF on the conversion of the school site for commercial purposes was presented at the hearing. No representative of the RSAF was also acknowledged as present.
Bonifacio said the city council has the power to reclassify areas in the jurisdiction of the city.
Bonifacio also proposed a resolution declaring the Chevalier School and its adjacent chapel a heritage site since it is already 60 years old and has become part of the city’s cultural history.
A heritage site is a building or an area of the unspoilt natural environment considered to be important to an area’s heritage. In such a case, a heritage site will be preserved.
Glen Sarmiento, Department of Education city school’s division in charge of private schools, emphasized the repercussions in closing the school.
Sarmiento said their primary concern is to settle the issue before the end of the academic year in April or May as the revocation of the school’s recognition may be at stake.
“Since ang ending ng school ay April or May, three months na lang po ang meron tayo so dapat makapagdecide na po tayo whether we will continue or not,” said Sarmiento.
“Unang-una, mare–revoke ang recognition ng school and yun po ang iniiwasan natin dahil once na ma-revoke po ang recognition, babalik po sila sa zero. Minimum of six years po iyon bago po sila marecognize ulit,” Sarmiento pointed out.
“Pag nagsara po ang Chevalier, affected din po ang public schools kasi unang-una, wala po tayong enough capacity to cater to all these learners. Sabihin na po natin na this year ay online. Sooner or later babalik po tayo sa regular (classes), at doon po natin makikita yung problem,” he stressed.
Sarmiento also said the school needs to submit a letter of closure before the academic year ends as well as a clear plan on the students’ transfer applications.
Sarmiento noted that based on their records, Chevalier School is in good standing and is compliant with DepEd laws and policies.
Meanwhile, it was also mentioned that many of today’s young professionals and civil leaders like Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. and Councilor Suller who is a lawyer by profession, and Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo C. Garbo are just among the few alumni of Chevalier School.
Suller who chairs the committee of law and order and also present during the committee hearing also said it will not be easy for the reclassification of school area into commercial.
Victor Joaquin Tanglao, convenor of the CSAA core group, who was present during the hearing, made an appeal to Archbishop Florentino “Dong” Lavarias to allow the continuity of the school for the sake of its students.
Tanglao said is asking for a “reasonable amount of time” from Lavarias to allow Chevalier School to find another suitable location.
But when pressed by Bonifacio to be specific with his timetable, he could only say that his group does not want to impose any condition on Lavarias.
