By Roselle Aquino
SAN Miguel Corporation (SMC) and the municipal government of Calatagan in Batangas inaugurated recently Calatagan National High School 2.0, a four-story, 16-classroom building that immediately addresses classroom shortage and congestion in the area.
SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang, together with Calatagan Mayor Oliver Palacio and Batangas 1st District Rep. Eric Buhain, led the ribbon-cutting rites, witnessed by local officials and members of the local school board.
The school, located in Barangay Sambungan, was built with funds donated by SMC, on a property provided by the Calatagan local government unit (LGU).
“The town of Calatagan is very grateful to Mr. Ramon S. Ang for giving us this building,” Palacio said. “We have Mr. Ramon Ang as a partner — not only through his projects in Calatagan, but also in the development of education in the town.”
[“Malaking pasasalamat po ng bayan ng Calatagan kay Mr. Ramon S. Ang sa pagbibigay ng ganito pong gusali… Kasama po natin si Mr. Ramon Ang — hindi lamang po sa kanyang mga gagawin sa Calatagan, ngunit kasama rin siya sa pagpapaunlad ng edukasyon sa ating bayan.”]
At present, 194 Grade 7 students are already using a number of classrooms in the school building, which can accommodate up to 560 students. Mayor Palacio is hoping to further expand the school to accommodate 1,200 students up to Grade 12.
The school caters to students from seven areas, namely: Barangays Sambungan, Bucal, Carlosa, Encarnacion, Luya, Hukay, and Real.
Its opening is seen to decongest the nearby Lucsuhin National High School, and afford students
from nearby barangays an easier commute to school.
In his speech, Mr. Ang said that he is committed to building at least two more schools in Calatagan to help solve classroom shortages, and meet the DepEd standard for teacher-to-classroom ratio.
Palacio underscored the importance of the partnership between SMC and the local government in addressing these concerns, as education is key to a capable workforce.
SMC’s commitment to the development of Batangas is seen through various projects that include a state-of-art cement plant, a food manufacturing complex, a major power facility, as well as expressways.
SMC’s investments in the province are a major boost to both the national and local economies.
While catalyzing growth in the province by supporting local industries and creating jobs and livelihood opportunities, SMC’s operations in Batangas are also seen as crucial to providing for the food, power, transportation, and infrastructure needs of the country.
In particular, Ang touted SMC’s upcoming Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway, to help improve the transport of people and goods to and from the province, and support tourism.
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