ORDINANCE CREATING THE BARANGAY CUTCUT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

On joint- motion of the proponent, Kagawad EMERENCIANA L. SIGUA, chairman of the Committee on Education and Kagawad ROY DANTE OGURIDA, duly seconded;


BE IT ORDAINED AND PROMULGATED BY THIS HONORABLE BODY IN ITS REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLED:

Ordinance No. 32, Series of 2011

AN ORDINANCE CREATING THE BARANGAY CUTCUT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION THEREOF.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. – This ordinance shall be known as the “BARANGAY CUTCUT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM”

SECTION 2. OBJECTIVES. – This aims to provide financial assistance to poor but deserving students who want to pursue secondary education at any Public School in Angeles City.

SECTION 3. QUALIFICATIONS. – To qualify, a barangay cutcut scholar should meet the following criteria:

a. Must be bonafide resident of Barangay Cutcut, Angeles City for the past six (6) years and is currently enrolled as a graduating elementary student in any public school;

b. Must have a grade of not lower than eighty percent (80%) in each subject taken in his/her sixth year in elementary;

c. Must have a general average of not lower than eighty percent (80%);

d. Must have a good moral record as certified by the school; and

e. Must have a certification from the Punong Barangay that the applicant belongs to a poor or indigent family.

SECTION 4. APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENTS.

a. A graduating student who possesses the abovementioned qualifications shall secure an application form from the Cutcut Barangay Hall.

b. An applicant may file his/her accomplished application form with the office of the Cutcut Barangay Hall accompanied by a letter stating his/her interest to pursue a secondary education and this shall be forwarded to the screening committee.

c. He/she shall submit a true copy of grades certified by the School Principal or Registrar.

d. He/she shall present a Barangay Certification of good moral character.

e. To qualify, the applicant should pass an oral interview to be conducted by a screening committee composed of the Barangay Chairman and Barangay Kagawad of Barangay Cutcut, Angeles City.

f. Those who shall and qualify for the scholarship program will be notified in writing by the Screening Committee.

SECTION 5. – RULES IN MAINTAINING SCHOLARSHIP. – The scholars during the period of scholarship must:

a. Obtain a grade point average of, at least eighty percent (80%) for the first and second year of his/her study and eighty five percent (85%) for the third and graduating years.

b. Any grantee scholar who fails to maintain the above requirements shall automatically disqualified from the program. In this case, a substitute student will fill the vacant slot provided that all qualification requirements are satisfied.

The scholar, during the period of scholarship, must not:

a. Abandon/Relinquish study grant or take a leave of absence from the school without permission from the sponsor.

b. Do serious transgressions of school’s policies, rules and regulations.

SECTION 6. – QUOTA – One hundred (100) scholars/grantees shall be accommodated per school year.

SECTION 7. – SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS/PRIVILEGES. – Grantees of the Barangay Cutcut Scholarship Program shall be entitled to the following benefits.

1. Financial Assistance of ONE THOUSAND PESOS (P1,000.00) per school year to be drawn upon the approval of application for scholarship. The grantee shall be required to submit a photocopy of the Official Receipt of payment and the duly approved and assessed enrollment form.

2. The above amount shall cover expenses for tuition fees and miscellaneous fees.

3. After every the grantee shall required to liquidate the above fees with official receipts of payment before receiving the next scholarship assistance.

SECTION 7. FUNDING. – The Cutcut Barangay Council shall incorporate in the annual budget the funds to cover the implementation of the program.

SECTION 8. REPEALING CLAUSE – Any ordinance or part/s thereof inconsistent herewith is hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SECTION 9. EFFECTIVITY. – This ordinance shall take effect beginning school year 2012-2013.

UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED in regular session assembled by Cutcut Barangay Council held on October 08, 2011 at the Cutcut Barangay Hall, Angeles City.

Off-road adventure in Pampanga

Find this ironic that something destructive can give birth to splendor. Apart from Anawangin Cove and the Crater Lake which was redesigned by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the 1990's, Puning Hot Spring is another impressive outcome of its madness.

4x4 jeep swayed past a wide expanse of desert-like sands with lava rocks, canyons, hanging valley, and Aeta villages. En route to Sitio Puning in Porac, Pampanga from the base camp in Sitio Target in Sapang Bato, we found ourselves driving through scenic valleys with towering pinnacles of lahar and boulders of rocks as backdrop. We followed a trail that passed through a series of streams, motley of rocks and gorges. We were swept away by the sparse vegetation and hanging valleys after finally arriving at the base camp where the indulging thermal spring is located.

Puning Hot Spring has been developed for the convenience of tourists. Cemented pathways lead tourists into the hot spring pools where they can take a relaxing dip. Cottages have been built, as well as washrooms. Since the Pinatubo area is inhabited by the indigenous Aeta people, almost all of the employees at Puning Hot Spring are Aetas.

After indulging in the thermal springs coming from Mt. Pinatubo, we were led to another base camp for a peculiar spa experience. We were asked to lie down as our bodies were covered by volcanic sand. You could really feel the warm volcanic ash relaxing my buried body.

To cap off our spa experience, we were treated to a mudpack. Sulfur mud was applied all over my face, hands and legs which I allowed to harden for a couple of minutes. It was refreshingly cool and my skin felt rejuvenated after washing up. Indeed, the whole Puning Hot Spring experience; from the 4x4 adventure ride, to bathing in the thermal spring, and finally being pampered by the spa's attentive professionals is a remarkable treat for tourists.

There are three ways to get to Puning Hot Spring:

1. Avail the package tour for Php 3,000 per pax which is inclusive of 4×4 jeep ride, buffet meal, entrance fee to the hot spring, sand steam, massage and mudpack at Sitio Target, Sapang Bato Angeles City, Pampanga

2. Hire a 4x4 jeep for about Php 1,500

3. Trekking from Sitio Target which may take roughly 1 hour.

City College of Angeles

Mayor Ed Pamintuan, together with Vice Mayor Vicky Vega Cabigting and members of the city council, recently led the blessing and ceremonial time-capsule laying at the city college.

“With the growing costs of tuition fees in private high schools, colleges and universities, education is now seen as a privilege rather than a right,” Pamintuan said.

“The establishment of a city college will make it possible for everyone to have an equal chance for a better future,” he said.

“It is the people’s dream to have a modern hospital and a city college – the administration is simply fulfilling this dream for them,” he also said.

Vega-Cabigting, for her part, said that the CCA is proof that the administration fully supports and provides an answer to the wishes of young Angeleños for affordable and quality education.

“Angeles is truly writing history with the construction of the city college,” the vice mayor said.

The city college will provide courses which will match the needs of investors and business locators inside the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ) and the immediate community.

Councilor Edu Pamintuan, chairman of the city council’s committee on education and the author of the ordinance calling for the establishment of a public college said that for the school year 2012-2013, the CCA will start with two ladderized courses that could lead to the acquisition of a bachelor’s degree.

These courses, he said are Associate in Hospital Management and Associate in Information Systems.

“While construction is still ongoing, classes will already be held at the Angeles City Library, where there are currently four classrooms on the 3rd floor and a computer laboratory on the 2nd floor,” the councilor said.

City Administrator Atty. Dennis Albert Pamintuan said CCA’s two-storey building has 43 classrooms. It also has a covered court.

He said that part of the school’s budget include basic school equipment such as chairs, tables, blackboards and electric fans.

The city government is currently organizing the officials of the CCA, as well as members of the faculty and administrative staff.
The city college can accommodate at least 4,000 students once fully operational.

Construction is now underway for the P320-million first-ever city college here designed to supply the demands at the Clark Freeport where there are currently around 62,000 workers.

Councilor Edu Pamintuan, chairman of the city council’s committee on education, said courses on communication skills and English proficiency and information technology (IT) will be primarily offered at the City College of Angeles (CCA) in barangay Pampang. He is the principal author of the ordinance approved last year creating the CCA at the four-hectare former Agyu Tamu Sports Complex.

He said the school can accommodate at least 4,000 students once fully completed at the middle of 2012 by its contractor, R.C. Ramos Construction.

“It’s an overkill, so to speak. It’s ready for the next five years to handle the influx of students,” he said.

Pamintuan disclosed that the mayor had decided to allot P25 million for the improvement of roads leading to the CCA, particularly Arayat Blvd. The funds came from the Interior and Local Government Sec. Jessie Robredo who named Angeles City last December as one of the recipients of the Local Government Support Fund for passing the Seal of Good Housekeeping.