LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) celebrated its 23rd Foundation Day with songs, gongs and dances on April 6, 2016 at the Tupay-ya Complex, Buyagan, Poblacion, La Trinidad, Benguet.
The celebration was opened by a Photo Exhibit on April 4, 2016, featuring the various activities of both employees and students for 23 years of existence.
The Festival of Talents followed on April 5, spearheaded by the Teacher Education and Business Education and Accountancy departments, with the theme “Artistry at its Best: Harmonizing Talents and Abilities” which was participated by students from the elementary to the tertiary level. Categories like Playing of Musical Instruments and Solo (Singing), headed by Joseph Bernal; Modern Dance, chaired by Amor Segundo; Poster-Making “CCDC at 23” handled by Marcelo Poking; Freestyle Talent, coordinated by Mhelson Soriano; and Video Advertisement Making, supervised by Norie Padngaran, were among the highlights of the competition. Wendy Lyn Balanban bagged Video Advertisement Making, Sean Latogan for Poster-Making, Jay Ann Lipawen for Musical Instrument, Roanne Joy Atinan for Solo, G5 Crew for Modern Dance, Hiroshi Paul Guzman for Individual Freestyle, Kevin Solano and Tiffany Rose Wanawan for Duo Freestyle, and Peacemakers Dance Troupe for the Group Freestyle.
According to Domingo Bay-an, Coordinator for Accountancy, the Talents Festival was a big success despite its initial implementation. “We look forward to a wider and improved participation in the next season,” Bay-an added.
Rosaria Pes-oyen, Head of Students Services and the over-all chair for this year’s celebration, commented that the CCDC Got Talent provided opportunity for the students to showcase their talents, which contributed in developing their confidence. On the other hand, “the celebration of the Foundation Day is a way of coming together as one big family to give thanks and reminisce the happiness and pains that lead to better achievement of the vision and mission of the school,” Pes-oyen continued.
The observance of Foundation Day started with a mass celebrated by Fr. Benedict Villapa on April 6, asserting that “coming together is teamwork but working together is success.”
James M. Malaya, Chairman of the Board and President, reminisced the conceptualization of the institution, recounting the challenges the college had gone through. He exhibited pride in what the school accomplished: producer of board topnotchers, offering all curriculum levels (pre-school to graduate school) in just 6 years of operation, the only higher education institution that started conferring MA degrees after 3 years of operation, to name a few. He concluded his message by acknowledging individuals and agencies that helped transform dream into reality, expressing gratitude to the employees, parents, students and all stakeholders for working together to realize the school’s vision. “In its commitment to provide quality education, the college continues with its campus and human resource development,” Malaya assured.
CCDC is the first private non-sectarian, higher educational institution in the BIMAK (Benguet, Ifugao, Mt. Province, Apayao, Kalinga) provinces, founded and managed by true Cordillerans, making it truly a “HOME AWAY FROM HOME.”
By MARLYN POKING-WACNAG
