MFVE Formally Opens New BTECH Campus

As part of the 40th birthday celebration of Mayor Ferdie V. Estrella, he formally opened the BTECH campus at Pagala, Baliwag, Bulacan.

BALIWAG, BULACAN. September 4, 2019. Mayor Ferdinand V. Estrella (MFVE) of this town led the opening of the new campus of Baliwag Polytechnic College (BTECH) at Pagala, Baliwag, Bulacan. The campus, located at the back of Baliwag Star Arena along DRT Highway, will serve as the home of the local college established by former Mayor Romy M. Estrella in 2008. MFVE opened the new campus by ceremonially cutting the ribbon at the new building's entrance. The building was donated by Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV. Another building, which is currently under construction, was donated by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian. The buildings were constructed under the auspices of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Bulacan.

The historic opening of the Pagala campus is one of the series of activities programmed for MFVE's 40^th birthday celebration which is on September 5, 2019. The event was witnessed by representatives from the Department of Education Regional and Provincial Offices, Dr. Zandra Z. Paruginog and Dr. Cecilia E. Custodio. During the ceremonies, MFVE was joined by Baliwag Municipal Councilors, Madette Quimpo, Dingdong Nicolas, Lowell Tagle and Ogie Baltazar.

The building donated by Sen. Trillanes was officially turned over by the DPWH and was formally accepted by MFVE for and in behalf of BTECH. MFVE sits as the chair of the Board of Trustees of BTECH. In his acceptance speech, MFVE assured the BTECH community that as long as he is the Mayor of Baliwag, Bulacan he will always value and never abandon BTECH.

Earlier, at 9:00 A.M., a mass was held and the classrooms and other facilities were blessed to prepare the campus for the eventual transfer of some classes from the BMG building. The activities were participated in by some members of the Faculty, Staff and Student body of both the College and the Senior High School. During the occasion, BTECH also changed its vision to: become a University by 2030.

The BTECH Code of Morality

Republic of the Philippines

Province of Bulacan

Municipality of Baliwag

BALIWAG POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

CODE OF MORALITY

Baliwag Polytechnic College (BTECH) is an academic community where the members of the Administration, Faculty, Staff, Student, and Alumni work together, hand in hand, in the acquisition, innovation, dissemination and application of knowledge and truth to the end users, stakeholders and the society. As such, BTECH requires all its members to take full moral responsibility for their actions and its consequences.

In order to facilitate this, BTECH envisions a work environment where professional relations, communications and other activities are characterized with respect, integrity, fairness and equality.

The objective of this moral code is to ensure that the conduct of all those who work and study at BTECH meets the strictest moral standards which are expected from persons working, studying or even visiting in a Higher Education Institution.

The code consists of ideals intended to serve as a reminder to everyone at the College of their obligation to maintain positivity, optimism and desirable behavior.

The code, expressed in general terms, does not define and penalize offenses done within the College premises, or those done outside the College but taints the name of the College. It, however, provides a preamble and an aid to interpreting the ordinances, laws, orders and resolutions promulgated by competent Government authorities and College authorities.

This code is suppletory to the professional ethical standards, faculty manual, student manual, administrative manual, pertinent ordinances, laws, among others. As such, it must not be regarded as a complete description of what constitutes desirable behavior within the academic premises.

And thus, be it resolved as it is hereby RESOLVED by the Academic Council herein assembled to promulgate the following:

Section 1. We respect those who work,  study or visit at BTECH as individual persons. We treat them with consideration and respect their personal information, circumstances and choices.

Section 2. We uphold and defend the honor and name of the College and shall not commit such acts that might cast shadow on the College’s reputation in the community.

Section 3. We comply with all our duties and responsibilities with BTECH,  with the Municipality of Baliwag, Bulacan and with the Republic of the Philippines. In doing so, we will value and show transparency, honesty, sincerity and good faith and through our actions, encourage others to do the same.

Section 4. We seek the knowledge and the truth with openness and objectivity. We are open to constructive criticism if this is what it takes to arrive at knowledge and truth as we constructively criticize. We emphasize professionalism, critical thinking, logical and factual reasoning. False information and fake news are highly frowned upon.

Section 5. We respect confidentiality and protect the interests of those who participate in our surveys and researches.

Section 6. We respect academic freedom at all times, always work according to our own convictions and avoid having conflicting interests affect the outcome of our work.

Section 7. We respect intellectual property rights of others at all times. We do not take credit for the work of others and always cite the sources we use in accordance with the internationally accepted practices in the disciplines.

Section. 8. We must be objective and fair in our comments, feedback and reference to our classmates and colleagues or to our College. This is especially true for comments which are published in mass media, social media or publicly announced.

Section 9. We are active participants in the operations and development of the College and consider it our duty to communicate information that might be important to improving the College.

Section 10. We prevent and never tolerate all forms of injustice, be it bullying, sexual harassment, or discrimination on the grounds of irrelevant factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, age, faith, nationality, race, disability or sexual orientation. Inquiry to the above personal information must be avoided when unnecessary.

Section 11. We prevent and never tolerate all forms of dishonesty and fraud, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, supplying false information to any College official, unreported undertime, unreported change of schedules, internal arrangements with students relative to their classes, forgery, unauthorized use of College documents or instruments of identification with intent to defraud the College.

Section 12. We prevent and never tolerate all forms of theft, robbery, causing damage to College property, theft of or damage to the property of another while located at the College, knowingly receiving, retaining, or disposing of the lost or misplaced property of a member of the academic community or of the College itself.

Section 13. We prevent and never tolerate all forms of unauthorized entry, use, or occupation of College facilities, as well as the unauthorized possession, duplication, or use of keys to College facilities, tampering with or misusing fire alarms, fire-fighting equipment, and safety equipment.

Section 14. We prevent and never tolerate all forms harassment of another person, whether physical, sexual, or verbal, either oral, written or by deeds, physical abuse, sexual abuse, threats, intimidation, coercion, and/or other conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person, the unauthorized selling, purchasing, producing, or possession of any lethal weapons, explosives, fireworks, or incendiary devices.

Section 15. We prevent and never tolerate the selling, purchasing, producing, possession, or use of cigarettes, intoxicating liquors, barbiturates, amphetamines, marijuana, hallucinogens, opiates, or other addictive and illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia.

Section 16. We prevent and never tolerate the engaging in or inciting others to engage in conduct which interferes with or disrupts any College function, or which prevents or limits the free expression of the ideas of others, or which physically obstructs or threatens to obstruct or restrain other members of the College community or visitors.

Section 17. We prevent and never tolerate all forms of  lewd, licentious, or disorderly conduct.

Section 18. We prevent and never tolerate all violation of the laws, regulations, ordinances, resolutions, orders, customs especially as regards to moral, ethical and professional standards.

Section 19. This code shall be henceforth known as the BTECH Code of Morality.

Approved. January 8, 2018.

BTECH Holds Seminar on Spirit Possession and Thought Disorders

Baliwag Polytechnic College held a seminar on Spirit Possession and Thought Disorders last December 6, 2017 at the BTECH Library. The members of the Faculty of the Senior High School (SHS) and some from the College participated in the said seminar.

“So far, this was the first BTECH faculty development activity centered on the paranormal,” Atty. Robert John I. Donesa, BTECH President said in his opening remarks. “We usually conduct in-house seminars and trainings on timely and relevant topics such as gender and development, pedagogies, ethics, new discoveries, among others, but not on spirit possessions,” he said.

The resource person is Fr. Nap A. Baltazar, the Parish Priest of San Miguel, Bulacan. Fr. Baltazar shared his experiences with the paranormal and offered some insights of its causes and solutions. He shared that spirit possessions are recognized biblically. “Even Jesus Christ cast out devils,” Fr. Nap explained.

Fr. Nap Baltazar shared his personal experiences and insights on exorcism. 

The seminar was conceptualized in the mid of this year when on August 3, 2017, four (4) Senior High School (SHS) students were ‘possessed’ by spirits. During the ‘attacks,’ none of the SHS faculty members were formally trained to do exorcism. It is just fortunate that BTECH have some religious faculty members who did their best, and successfully so, to cast out the spirits. Thus, the primary aim of the seminar is to orient the members of the faculty and staff about spirit possession and the desirable first aid interventions pending appropriate exorcism.

SHS Faculty Members expressed their views on the paranormal episodes at BTECH. 

Part two of the seminar is on common thought disorders among the students. Mr. Adriene Duay, the College Psychometrician, discussed on common thought disorders among students. He discussed the common symptoms indicative of identifiable disorders. Many of the symptoms may be attributed to ‘spirit possession’ but are scientifically identifiable and thus, medically treatable.

Mr. Adrien Duay, the College Psychometrician, explained some common thought disorders among students.

During breaks and open fora, the members of the faculty shared their personal horror experiences evoking horrified reactions from their co-faculty members.

SHS Members of the Faculty shared horror stories and personal experiences.

Ethical Commitment of Baliwag Polytechnic College (BTECH)

At Baliwag Polytechnic College (BTECH), every person, regardless of position and designation, is responsible for promoting a positive and ethical academic environment. We believe that the habit of doing things right at the first opportunity facilitates the formation an ethical academic community in the long run. Ethical and lawful conduct in all we do is the most important core value of BTECH. We are committed to:

1. Transparency, integrity, equality, good faith in all transactions.

2. Excellence, quality and professionalism in the delivery of education services to the students and constituents.

3. The promotion of the health, happiness, and fortunes of the BTECH employees.

4. The promotion of quality education, gender equality, care for the environment, preservation of culture, respect for diversity and freedom of choice of the members of the academic community.

In case of doubt, we always decide in favor of the welfare of the Baliwagenyos, the constituents we serve, pursuant to our advocacy: Serbisyong may malasakit.

CHED Evaluates Baliwag Polytechnic College

The CHED Technical Working Group at BTECH.

The Commission on Higher Education - Department of Interior and Local Government Technical Working Group (CHED-DILG TWG) visited Baliwag Polytechnic College (BTECH) last October 24, 2017 to inspect, evaluate and validate the application of BTECH for institutional recognition from CHED. The institutional recognition is necessary for BTECH students to avail of the provisions of Republic Act 10931, otherwise known as Universal Access to Quality Education Act.

The TWG inspected the College in the areas of curriculum, program administration, faculty, library, facilities and equipment, student support services, admission and retention policies, financial stability, and compliance with the Local Government Code, Building Code, CHED Memorandum Orders, among others. The TWG was particularly concerned with the College’s financial sustainability and infrastructure.

The CHED-DILG TWG during the documentary evaluation phase of the visit.

The CHED-DILG-TWG is composed of Engr. Reyen M. Sabate (CHED Central Office), Ms. Blanca Mica U. Capati (CHED Central Office), Ms. Jacqueline Guardame (CHED Central Office), Mrs. Yolanda Cordova (CHED-Regional Office III) and Mr. Jayfie P. Nasarro (DILG-Baliwag). Engr. Reyen M. Sabate, Chief Education Program Specialist, Office of Institutional Quality Assurance and Governance served as the TWG leader.

While the results of the evaluation were generally positive and favorable, the CHED-DILG-TWG suggested for some revisions the BTECH Ordinance, infrastructure improvements and the transfer of BTECH to its Pagala Campus. They also noted the downward trend of the annual budget given by the Municipality to the College.

The Lost Heritage Houses of Baliwag, Bulacan

As early as 1800, Baliwag, Bulacan had been a center of commerce and trade in Bulacan. The Glorieta, one of the largest squares in Bulacan, hosted weekly market fairs where products from Manila and other places were traded. Baliwag’s farm products included indigo, sugar cane, rice and corn. Baliwagenyos also indulged in weaving fabrics, spinning cottons, extracting sesame oil, milling sugar, weaving hats, among others. The industriousness of its citizens and the town’s strategic location brought in unprecedented progress.

Thus, by 1850’s Baliwag, became one of the most prosperous towns in the Province of Bulacan. It boasted of beautiful mansions dotting its major thoroughfares, some of which have beautiful gardens and orchards. These mansions were owned by the town’s wealthy mestizo citizens. These houses were generally classified under Spanish colonial architecture which continued to be in vogue even until the turn of the 20th century.

In time, however, many of Baliwag’s beautiful mansions fell into a state of disrepair and neglect by its present owners. Oftentimes, these mansions were converted into commercial stores because of their prime locations. The grand Rustia Residence, for instance, now housed a beauty parlor. A shoe repair shop clinging on its side is a reminder that its glory is now a distant past. Many other Baliwag mansions suffered the same fate. In 2006-2007, two (2) of them were sold, dismantled and transferred to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a Museum Resort in Bagac, Bataan. For Baliwag, Bulacan, they are now lost beyond recovery. The descriptions of the two houses are as follows:

Casa Baliuag I: The Residence of Kapitan Fernando Vergel de Dios

In Barangay Poblacion, at the corner of Burgos St., just across the old San Agustin Church in Baliuag, Bulacan, once stood a proud mansion - the residence of Kapitan Fernando Vergel de Dios. Built in 1898, the mansion was of Bahay na Bato architecture - a sturdy and elegant version of Bahay Kubo with thick adobe ground floor walls and windows of large glass panes. It once served as the Municipal Hall of Baliuag, Bulacan in the 1950s.

The mansion was a landmark in Baliwag, Bulacan. It had an elaborate adobe facade decorated here and there with floral motifs, which was in vogue during those times. The intricate wood carvings at its bandejas (wood sidings) perfected its highly floral motif. The lines of the house are decisive and contrived, creating an elegantly proportioned piece of architecture. The ground floor is enclosed with thick adobe walls that terminate in rows of horizontal moldings that seemed to distinctly delineate the wooden second floor.

The zaguan, or the ground floor, had bodegas and spaces for carriages and processional andas and carrozas. The walls of the zaguan are punctured with symmetrically distributed arched doors in harmony with the generous window openings on the upper floor. The doors are decorated with adobe-sculpted pots overflowing with flowers. The front part of the zaguan was also called luwasan because it was where Baliwagenyos waited for their ride to Manila. And taking advantage of the many people who stood in front of their house, the owners converted the zaguan into a photo studio and a post office.

The second floor of the house presents a tasteful ensemble of huge panels of sliding windows of wood-framed glass panes; ventanillas protected by wrought iron break the monotony. On the far left of the house is a porte cochere, a portico-like structure at the secondary entry to the house where a horse or a carriage can drive in so that the owners can enter the building protected from the weather. Above the porte cochere is a balcon enclosed by railings of terracotta balusters. Almost unique to the Casa Baliuag I, were the life-size wooden sculptures of Filipino women carrying a basket on their heads. These sculptures decorated the porch as fake posts.

In time, however, the mansion became a victim of neglect of its owners. Some of its architectural details were sold, lost or stolen. The mansion’s contents were gradually lost. Fortunately, before it was totally gone, it was sold to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar and was dismantled and moved to Bagac, Bataan in 2007.

Casa Baliuag II: “Iglesia Ni Cristo House”

Casa Baliuag II’s original owner is still to be ascertained. The house was originally located within the compound of the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church in Baliwag Bulacan. As such, the house was used as a function hall by the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo. It was dismantled, transported and reconstructed at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan in 2006.

For most bahay na bato, the zaguan, or the ground floor space of the house, is usually used as a general storage area for carriages, carrozas, grain harvests and old furniture, among others. It usually is accessed through a large doorway with a double-panel door. It is usually enclosed with almost a meter-thick walls which elicit feelings of structural stability. With its thick walls, the zaguans are generally dank and gloomy.

But Casa Baliuag II defies all foregoing stereotyping. Its zaguan is just a rectangular open space with two large arched doorways at both ends. From the outside, it looked like a vaulted carriageway with a rectangular house on top. The zaguan’s adobe walls were punctured with symmetrically distributed arched doorways in harmony with the generous window openings on the second floor. Thinner Adobe walls were buttressed with thick adobe posts giving sense of stability. The zaguan had neither doors nor windows, just open arched doorways. Caruajes and carrozas may enter freely at the entrance and may drove straight out at the rear end of the house. Thus, it looked like an train station, rather than a house.

The entrance to the house is not through the zaguan but at the right said of the house. Wide balustraded stone steps with tile flooring led up to a landing. From which, a narrower wooden steps protected with wood handrails and balusters of the same design as those in the ventanillas led up to the main door of the second floor. The second floor had a complement of caida, antesala and sala, comedor, bedrooms and kitchen.

The grandeur of this bahay na bato comes from its proportion and the exquisite wood detailing of the interiors. It is a wonderland of architectural details from the walls to the ceilings. Grand in scale, the elements of lightness, translucence, efficient ventilation and spaciousness without extensive physical space. The principles of tropical architecture are embedded in this house in an almost effortless manner.

The World’s Gains

These two (2) houses are now well-preserved in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. Their uniqueness as dwellings and as objects of history are now appreciated by tourists, both Filipinos and foreigners. For sure, these houses’ lifespan would be longer in Bagac, Bataan than if they were in Baliwag, Bulacan. They are Baliwag’s lost, but the world’s gains.

Baliwag, Bulacan Strengthens Katarungang Pambarangay

Participants of the Second Day, May 19, 2017.

The Municipality of Baliwag, Bulacan (LGU-Baliwag), the Department of Interior and Local Government of Baliwag (DILG-Baliwag), the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) and Baliwag Polytechnic College (BTECH) collaborated for the conduct of seminar-workshop on Katarungang Pambarngay (Barangay Justice). The seminar-workshop was held on May 18 and 19, 2017 at the Conference Room, Baliwag Water District. The activity aims to train members of Lupon Tagapamayapa for speedy, non-adversarial and proper dispensation of justice at the Barangay level.

The seminar-workshop was participated in by some members of the Pangkat Tagapagkasundo of all twenty seven (27) Barangays of LGU-Baliwag. The first day, May 18, 2017, was participated by Barangays Bagong Nayon, Barangca, Calantipay, Catulinan, Concepcion, Hinukay, Makinabang, Matangtubig, Pagala, Paitan, Piel, Pinagbarilan and Poblacion. While the second day, May 19, 2017, was participated by Barangays Sabang, San Jose, San Roque, Santa Barbara, Santo Cristo, Santo Niño, Subic, Sulivan, Tangos, Tarcan, Tiaong, Tibag, Tilapayong and Virgen de las Flores.       

Mr. Gedeon G. Gamboa, a social science faculty of Mabalacat City College, served as a resource speaker and guest trainer. ABC President, Councilor Luciano Robes shared his own experiences and best practices as chair, Pangkat Tagapagkasundo.

Mr. Jayfie P. Nasarro of DILG-Baliwag gave a comprehensive discussion on Katarungang Pambarangay. He also showed video clips of actual conciliation activities. Mr. Nasarro also served as a Resource Person during the open forum.

Atty. Robert John I. Donesa, BTECH President, discussed on the civil and criminal jurisdictions of Katarungang Pambarangay. He also facilitated the workshops where actual and illustrative barangay cases were tackled.

The Seminar-Workshop on Katarungang Pambarangay is part of the Barangay Summit - an all year round series of LGU-Baliwag sponsored activities to engage and empower the Barangays.

The Seminar-Workshop Coordinators from BTECH with Mr. Jayfie P. Nasarro of DILG- Baliwag  

The participants of the first day, May 18, 2017.

Atty. Robert John I. Donesa, BTECH President, facilitated the Seminar-Workshop

Mr. Jayfie P. Nasarro of DILG-Baliwag answers queries from the participants.