BAUKO, Mountain Province – Some forty foreign students from different universities in the world will be appending their month-long practicum in this fourth-class town to teach residents on the latest trends in various aspects of tourism, health, agriculture and livelihood.
Mayor Abraham B. Akilit said the 40 graduating foreign students who will immerse in the town’s 22 barangays come from prestigious universities in New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia through the assistance of the Manila-based San Beda College.
“We are elated to be included as a beneficiary of the numerous extension programs of San Beda College as our constituents will interact with foreigners who will be teaching them the skills and knowledge on different aspects of health, tourism, agriculture, weaving, dairy production, among others, that will improve their craft and trade,” Mayor Akilit stressed.
He explained the foreigners’ immersion program will be beneficial to locals because they can motivated to introduce innovations in their crafts and trade and add value to their produce while helping advance the growth of the local tourism industry, the town’s major economic driver.
According to him, the local government embarked on tourism as one of its major economic drivers that strikes a balance between environmental preservation and protection and the needed development in the protected areas.
He expressed optimism residents can acquire from the foreign students relevant knowledge and techniques that can improve their trade and market their distinct products inside and outside the country and increase their income.
The local chief executive reported the immersion group of foreign students will go to different places in in the region with Bauko as one of their stopovers for more or less a month to interact with the indigenous peoples in the Cordillera and exchange views and ideas, as well as practices on the different aspects of health, tourism, agriculture, livelihood, among other facets of rural development.
The program is just one of the gains of the local government from its solid partnership with San Beda College, one of the prestigious higher education institutions in Metro Manila, to help in efforts to enhance the lives of residents and add value to their produce to gain access to the local, regional, national and international markets.
Akilit revealed the foreign students will arrive in the municipality early next year where they will be given orientation before being deployed in the different barangays and specialty programs of the local government.
By HENT