BALANGA CITY, Bataan – The inauguration of Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory and turnover ceremonies for automated guideway transit (AGT) at the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) here last Friday almost turned out to be a “reunion” of sort of professional engineers who traced their family roots in Bataan.
Secretary Fortunato T. Dela Pena of Department of Science and Technology (DOST) who almost lost his topic to say because all other speakers were already discussed by the previous speakers, just traced his family roots in Barangay Tuyo, Balanga.
He divulged to the audience that his grandparents are from Balanga but got married and established their respective families in Bulacan other parts of Central Luzon.
Anyway, the humble DOST top honcho lauded the idea of Congressman Joet Garcia in filing a House Bill creating National Science High School in the City of Balanga. He said though that the national government allows only one science high school per region.
On the monorail project, Dela Pena said it’s about time local technology steps into the field. “Pag magre-repair, ang LRT natin magtatawag pa ng foreigner na gagawa,” he said. The DOST has to help in the transfer of technology, he added.
He also observed that Bataan province is so strategically located that monorail system is best suited for it.
Another speaker, Engr. Robert O. Dizon, also a professional engineer, of Metals Industry Research and Development Center, oftentimes would address his audience as “mga kababayan ko” (my town mates) signifying that he is from Balanga. He relates how he and a group of engineers hatched the concept of having a monorail project in the country more particularly in his own province.
It took him and the group of engineers years to complete the concept of building monorail system and finally decided to have it brought to the BPSU compound.
Dizon pointed out that the manpower and technology are “already there.” “We are now aiming for commercial operation,” he said.
Out of nowhere, another professional engineer, Prof. Rigoberto C. Advincula, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) professor and AMCen Consultant, announced to the amazement of the audience that his grandfather was a former vice mayor of Mariveles town. He briskly presented with power point the characterization of commercially-available materials for 3d printing applications, rapid manufacturing and rapid prototyping.
