Bar, Resto Transform Into P’sinan College

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Two of the countless facilities renovated and spruced up by the provincial government here for the Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC) are former restaurant and a bar during the Espino Administration.

FORMER BARS. The former Chatanoga Grill Seafood and Restaurant (top photo) leased by the previous Espino Administration to the owner of the business establishment and the edifice (photos below) used by the administration as a bar according to Pangasinan Governor Ramon V Guico III. Those buildings are one of the many structures converted by the present dispensation for the Pangasinan Polytechnic College located at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center Complex in Lingayen. According to its first President Raymundo D. Rovillos, PPC caters to the students in the province who come from the marginalized sector.

“Itong cell na ito used to be a restaurant lang. Iyong nandoon sa gate inuman dati iyon. Ngayon, oo, bar di ba perspective dati ganoon. Andaming educational facilities na makakatulong sa pag-aaral so we make use of what we have is to have competent, dedicated people who will run it,” said by Governor Ramon V. Guico, III about the availability of government owned buildings he converted for the PPC during the launching of the Center for the Lifelong Learning (CELL) of the PPC and the ceremonial Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Colleges and Institutes Canada at the CELL building in the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center Complex in Lingayen.

Guico said the competence and dedication of the people who would run the PPC matter for the pedagogy of the youth of Pangasinan.

PPC first President Raymundo D. Rovillos said that classes for the short term courses start on the last week of March while the bachelor programs will start on August this year.

“Those beneficiaries of the 4Ps Program (The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) sila talaga ang primary na potential enrollees,” he told reporters during the press briefing that ensued after the launching of the CELL.

The initial offerings of the short term programs are under the auspices of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and are the following: Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II; Driving NC II; Driving (Passenger Bus/Straight Truck) NC III, and; Automotive Servicing NC 1.

The Microcredential Courses are the following:

*Pangasinan Studies; Clinical Skills for Community Health Workers; Organic Production of Vegetable Crops; Dairy Production; Design Thinking; Videography; Barangay Governance: Role and Functions of the Barangay as a Local Government Unit, Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Budgeting and Local Public Enterprise; Local Tourism Development Planning; Tourism Product Development; Indigenous Education Paradigm, Pedagogy and Sources and Uses of Instruction Materials.

The following four-year courses: Bachelor of Public Administration, Bachelor of Special Needs Education, Bachelor of Multimedia Arts, and Bachelor in Agribusiness.

The vision of the PPC is “producing world-class talents and leaders in the fields of science, technology, culture, and the arts” and “creating societal impact through transformative and inclusive education”.

The Governor told the crowd that the students of the PPC will be enrolled to the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act (UniFAST) as government scholars.

UniFAST became a law under Republic Act No. 10687

The requirements for the scholarship -- that allocates P10, 000 per semester or P20,000 per year to a deserving student -- he/she must be a Filipino citizen, minimum age requirement (usually 17 years old and above), completed high school or its equivalent and the prescribed academic qualifications for the chosen program.