INAUGURATION. Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III prepares a dish during the inauguration of the hot and cold kitchen at the University of Antique (UA) on Jan. 20, 2024. UA president Dr. Pablo Crespo, Jr. said in an interview Wednesday (Jan. 24, 2024) that CHED has invested a substantial amount for projects in the university. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has invested PHP150.2 million worth of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to the University of Antique (UA) to produce graduates with better employment opportunities.
"The facilities will provide an effective venue for our students’ instruction and training," said UA President Dr. Pablo Crespo, Jr. in an interview Wednesday.
Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III inaugurated the five projects funded by CHED on Jan. 20.
“CHED is committed to assist UA and all other universities so they could continuously improve the quality of education and for their students to be industry-ready,” he said.
The projects included the hot and cold kitchen for the Hospitality and Management program worth PHP15 million and the refurbishment and conversion of the UA hotel as “Balay ni Juan” as well as the development of a Juan-a Go App software application under the Juan-a Go Tourism Program of the university worth PHP19.7 million.
"Balay ni Juan" will serve as a repository of Antique products and a multi-discipline tourism center.
De Vera cooked a local dish using the newly acquired hot and cold kitchen facilities during the inauguration.
The commission also funded the establishment of the PHP7.5 million Innovation Laboratory (I-Lab) for Global Education and Digital Citizenship and the PHP10 million upgrading of the automotive technology program for students to acquire knowledge and training experience on welding and vehicle operations.
CHED allotted PHP98 million to acquire various equipment, such as a simulator or electrical system and centrifugal pump, to reinforce theories with actual practice among students for the UA engineering laboratory complex.
During his visit, De Vera also inaugurated the four-story Knowledge Development and Records Management building funded with PHP40 million by the national government through the General Appropriations Act.
Further, the Department of Science and Technology unveiled its PHP5 million Centralized Analytical Testing Laboratory, the first and only research laboratory in the province with advanced equipment and testing capabilities in the fields of nutrition, food technology, and environmental science, and the building retrofitting funded by UA worth PHP3 million. (PNA)
