CamSur Polytechnic College elevated to a state college

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, Nov. 17 (PIA) -- Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) Naga Campus was converted Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology(BISCAST) by virtue of Republic Act 10231 making it the first educational institution in the Philippines offering applied sciences and technology.

The conversion, in time for the college foundation anniversary yesterday, was religiously pushed by Camarines Sur 3rd District Congressman Luis Villafuerte for the past years until he got the unanimous nod of the House of Representatives and the Senate this year. It was finally approved on October 19.

The law will not just give autonomy to BISCAST but also will entail a lot of advantages now that it is officially separated from the Camarines Sur State Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua, Camarines Sur. it now possesses academic freedom to pursue higher levels of endeavor pursuant to the mission of the said state college.

“With this conversion, we will take the pioneering effort to pursue research and production activities while taking aggressive steps to acquire and build equipment, tools, and other paraphernalia in order to accelerate socio-economic development in our region,” Villafuerte said during the press briefing.

Villafuerte reiterated the role of BISCAST in taking the challenge of translating and transferring pure science into practical application through the various courses and curriculum that they are going to pursue starting June next year.

“We will pursue exchange programs for both the students and the faculty members to give them an opportunity to visit other SouthEast Asian institutions and learn from their best practices. We will continue to offer extension services to the rural communities to ensure transfer of technology. We will use rural technology to achieve total rural transformation,”Villafuerte added.

As a state college, BISCAST is now mandated to strengthen the four (4) pillars of state collegial system which includes its programs on instruction, research, production and extension.

BISCAST newly-appointed officer in charge Dr. Richard Cordial Ph.D. will take the lead in ensuring that all of these endeavors will be met by coming up with a strategic plan for the next five (5) years. For a start, the state college is currently embarking on the construction of a 3-storey library which will serve as a repository of statistics and data necessary for extensive research in enhancing science and technology in the region. The project costs P25M.

BISCAST will continue the technical-vocataional element of the old Bicol College of Arts and Trade (BCAT), yet moving it to a much higher level this time.

In addition and as part of the grand plan for yet another conversion from being a state college to being a university, Villafuerte said that they are eyeing the adjoining 2hectares just beside the BISCAST as an information technology hub in the near future. (MAL/LSM-PIA5/Camarines Sur)