Gabaldon building repair gets funds

THIS Gabaldon building at Pampanga High School in the City of San Fernando has been preserved by the Department of Education following an appeal by the Heritage Conservation Society to save it. INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON FILE PHOTO

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines—In celebration of its first anniversary, an agriculture group on Thursday said it was donating the funds to start the restoration of a Gabaldon building in an elementary school in Bayambang town, Pangasinan province.

Rosendo So, chair of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag), said his group would give an initial P400,000 to bring back to life the 12-classroom building that was gutted by fire in 2012.

Sinag, which was organized on Oct. 16 last year, is composed of more than 30 groups of rice, corn and vegetable farmers and traders, pork, livestock and poultry producers, aqua-venture groups and fertilizer and pesticide suppliers from all over the country.

So said a private group had also pledged P1 million for the restoration of the building, one of three Gabaldon structures at Bayambang Central Elementary School.

Before it was destroyed by fire, the building was used by 12 classes of Grades 1 and 2 pupils. The school has at least 2,000 students.

The Gabaldon buildings in Bayambang were built in 1921 and designed by American architect William Parsons. Funding came through Act No. 1801 authored by then Philippine Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon.

So said the building restoration was also in support for the clamor of parents and school alumni to return classes to the 3-hectare old campus. The municipal government closed the campus last year supposedly to allow the government to clean, repair and improve the facilities there.

But Bayambang Councilor Levin Uy said the old campus stands on local government property, where a central bus terminal and national government offices would be built. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon