School chief pins hope on agri

Araneta University in Malabon City will not only have a new name this year. It will even have a new president who has high hopes for the country’s agriculture sector.

In his inaugural address, Bro. Rolando Dizon, the newly-installed president of De La Salle-Araneta University (DLS-AU), vowed to work hard to make the school one of the best agricultural universities in the region.

"This partnership came at a time when our country is facing a crisis. It is my hope that DLS-AU can contribute to the strengthening of the Philippine economy," he said.

Best known for agriculture education, the former Gregorio Araneta University Foundation (GAUF) was integrated into the De La Salle University system last June.

Dizon formally became DLS-AU’s president during an investiture rites at the chapel of Our Lady of Victory. The affair was graced by former President Fidel Ramos, who presented Dizon with the academic collar, and businessman Jose Concepcion, whose father-in-law Salvador Araneta founded the GAUF.

According to Concepcion, attention must be given to agriculture because it serves as the backbone of any country. "Eighty percent of our people are in the rural areas. Unfortunately, our agriculture has not developed," he said. – Sheila Crisostomo