Rep. Dennis Laogan of the Ang Kabuhayan Party List has promised P5 million for the construction of another MMSU Balay Ti Alumni (BTA), this time in the in Batac campus. This is in addition to the existing BTA satellite building at the CTE and the one that is now being constructed at the College of Aquatic Sciences and Applied Technology (CASAT).

Laogan said he will get funding for the Batac campus BTE from the Ang Kabuhayan’s general appropriations for 2018 and it is expected to hit the MMSU coffers by March next year.

Meanwhile, the new BTA at CASAT was allocated P1.2 million from the previous collections of the Federated Alumni Association, Inc. and will serve as the main BTA building.

In a simple ground-breaking ceremony for the BTA at the CASAT on June 23, Laogan said he will personally supervise the release of the fund wherein P2.5 million will be given in March for the project’s phase 1, while another P2.5 will be released in April for its phase 2.

The MMSU BTA is envisioned to become a solace place for rest and recreation for visiting alumni.

Formally launched five years ago during the FAAI general assembly meeting in celebration of the association’s foundation anniversary, the BTA was seen as a project that could generate funds to sustain the FAAI programs and projects.

The BTA at CASAT is a 10 x 7-meter single storey type villa that is designed to fit the location of the portion of the eco-tourism area of the college. Fronting the shoreline of the west Philippine sea, the building will have a spacious front lobby and two bedrooms that can each accommodate 8 to 10 persons.

Prof. Ryan Dean Sucgang, FAAI secretary, said the ground-breaking activity for the BTA at CASAT was done literally and figuratively.

“Literally, because we are now formally in the first step of the realization of the BTA and figuratively since this is a new milestone worthy of jotting down in the chronicles of the MMSU alumni journey,” he said adding that “this is a jumpstart of our commitment of a never-ending love for the university.”

“BTAs will serve as transient houses for alumni and they are expected to generate income for the association,” said Bismark Angelo Quidang, FAAI president and member of the MMSU Board of Regents adding that the BTAs are better alternatives to support the FAAI assistance programs instead of soliciting funds for the association.” (By Reynaldo E. Andres)