CCA OPENING. Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, along with other city officials and school administrators, leads the formal opening and first flag-raising rites of the City College of Angeles in Barangay Pampang.
Photo courtesy of Angeles CIO
ANGELES CITY – “Today, we fulfil a dream. A dream that we dreamt only yesterday and never thought to become real. Today, we open the portal where dreams are fulfilled.”
Thus, said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan yesterday during the historic inauguration of the City College of Angeles (CCA) before officials of the school, students and their parents, city hall executives, government officials, the police, the judiciary, businessmen and other guests.
“Alam kong galing sa mahihirap na pamilyang Angeleno ang mga mag-aaral na nagsusumikap na magkaroon ng pantay na pagkakataon tungo sa mas maunlad na kinabukasan (I know that students come from poor families of Angelenos who want to have an equal opportunity towards a progressive future),” Pamintuan said.
“Ito po ay makasaysayang araw lalung-lalo na para sa inyong lingkod. Parang kamakailan lamang nung ako ay nangarap na magtayo ng sariling kolehiyo para sa ating lungsod na tutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mahihirap na kababayan na makapag-aral at makapagtapos ang kanilang mga anak sa kolehiyo.
Para sa akin kase ang pinakamabisang sandata laban sa kahirapan ay ang edukasyon (This is a historic day especially for me. It seems only just too recently when I dreamt of having our own city college that will cater to the needs of our poor constituents to send their children to college. For me, the best weapon against poverty is education),” Pamintuan said.
Dr. Marietta Gaddi, CCA vice president for academic affairs, said she was overwhelmed by the building which will now house the first batch of college students in its imposing structure located at the new CCA campus in Barangay Pampang here.
For his part, CCA President Averell Laquindanum acknowledged a new milestone in the city with the formal inauguration of the CCA.
“Simula po ngayong araw na ito wala ng kabataan dito sa ating lungsod ang mapagkakaitan ng oportunidad na makapag-aral sa kolehiyo sa kadahilanang wala po silang kaya sa buhay (From this day on, there will no longer be any youth who will be deprived of an opportunity to study in college just because they have no means of livelihood),” Laquindanum said.
During his turn at the podium, CCA Board of Trustee Reghis Romero II emphasized the value of good education and quoting Jose Rizal he said: “the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President and CEO Arthur Tugade who was the guest of honor said: “I congratulate the City of Angeles for this endeavor. You have given reality to the truism that indeed there is no substitute for a good education. You want a chance in life, be educated. You want to progress, be educated.”
Tugade, who admitted coming from the squatters’ area in Manila, told students to endure the hardships of getting a good education.
”Mga kaibigang mag-aaral, huwag kayong bibitaw (My student friends, don’t let go),” Tugade said as he encouraged CCA students to hang on until they finished their college degrees.
Addressing city officials Tugade said: “I give you one challenge and let this be the challenge that we shall all have; for so long as there is one child that is out of school we have not done our job.”
The CCA was initially located at the City Library along Sto. Entierro St. in Barangay Sto. Rosario until its transfer to the new site this school year. Today, the CCA has 1,300 enrollees and 37 full-time instructors and 10 part-time teachers.
Pamintuan said one third of the 1,300 students or about 450 are scholars who do not pay anything.
The new courses that are offered at CCA include Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science, BS in Information Systems, BS in Tourism Management, Bachelor of Physical Education, and Bachelor of Technical Teacher Education major in Food and Service Management.
The CCA was granted government authority from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to offer bachelor degree courses last year.
