Press Release
February 16, 2010

With key educ, arts projects unveiled
AURORA MARKS 30 YEARS OF PROVINCEHOOD

BALER -- Celebrating the 31st anniversary of his home province, Sen. Edgardo J. Angara unveils this week his latest initiatives in further advancing the agriculture, education, health and cultural sectors of Aurora.

Along with the Provincial Government of Aurora, Angara will lead the groundbreaking ceremonies of ultra-modern facilities such as the Canili Rural Farm School, the Media Arts and Technology Center, the Baler Arts Academy, the Aurora Agriculture Museum and the Aurora National High School.

"Aurora is a strategic area in the eastern coast of the country, and its access to Manila and the other ports of Luzon make it an ideal starting point for the inflow of commerce. The region is blessed with very rich agro-marine resources and strong labor force. It is only wise to invest in these aspects of the provincial economy to make it a dynamic center for education, trade and culture in the region," stressed Angara, former Secretary of Agriculture.

The Canili Rural Farm School will bring to the province various technologies and best practices in farming to boost its vast agriculture environment. A showcase of its unique species and rich history of agricultural development with the first-ever Agricultural Museum in the country will complement this school.

"As an agriculture-intensive country, we need to cultivate agriculture as a primary source of livelihood in the province and in the country. This also bridges the gap between modernization and the [agriculture] sector," Angara noted. The school will device a system of education to equip the locals with necessary tools and knowledge to improve their lives in the province. Currently, Angara has set up the Mariculture center, the Food Basket and the KOICA Rice Processing Center in the province.

As the country's last bastion of Spain and the birthplace to two of the most prominent political figures in history--Angara and President Manuel L. Quezon--the Baler Arts Academy aims to develop local talents and foster various facets of culture to the country.

The Media Arts and Technology Center will tap the talents and technical skills of students in the Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT) and the Aurora Technological Institute (ATI) into lucrative, more fulfilling avenues. Currently there is no sufficient training centers in the region for budding film-makers and artists, hence "the opportunity to start raising a breed of creative, talented and hardworking artists for the country," Angara said.

Angara himself is a staunch supporter of the agriculture, education, health and trade sectors. He authored, among many others, the Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA); Free High School Act and Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE); the laws that created PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, the National Museum and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA); and was former president of the University of the Philippines.

The groundbreaking ceremonies will be graced by guests from various embassies, including Michael Hsu of the Taiwanese Embassy; members of the Federation of Fil-Chinese Chamber of Commerce; experts in the arts, education and engineering and architecture sectors; and local government officials.

"Three decades is not long ago, but at the rate Aurora is progressing we can truly say Aurora is ready to take on the domestic and international trade market," Angara said.

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