ELECTION ROUND UP

Sonny vows assistance to Cebu schools
AURORA Rep. Sonny Angara pledged to help in the acquisition of new facilities and improvement of state universities in Cebu should he win in the May 13 elections.
The Cebu Normal University which he referred to as one of the best state universities in the country already needed a modernized building and new facilities.
State universities, he said, need the national government's help because they provide the linkage between the educational system and the industry.
A better equipped university, Angara said, produces the kind of graduates that the industry needs.
“Industries and schools should coordinate to produce graduates needed in the job market,” he said.
Angara said there is also a need to convene members of the State Council for Education for this purpose.
“Hindi na sila na ko-convene. Dapat mas madalas mag meet para mapag usapan ano ang pangangailanagn. Dapat forward planning at
tingnan kung may industrya na napapabayanaan (They have yet to be convened. They should meet more often so they can talk what is needed. There should be forward planning to identify what industries are neglected,” he said.
As chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, Angara said he is also making education and jobs creation the focus of his campaign.
He is confident that his 8th to 9th standing in surveys and the endorsement of actor Coco Martin plus the commitment of support of Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district were enough to ensure his victory in the election.
With the support he's getting from the bigger towns and cities, Angara said he's hoping to further improve his standing in surveys with a week left before the election.
He and Martin were in Bacolod, Iloilo and Cebu City last Saturday while he also campaigned in the Calabarzon region with Kris Aquino yesterday. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
Socialized housing for Lapu
SOCIALIZED housing will be a priority for Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu) congressional candidate Angel Rodriguez to resolve the squatting problem in Lapu-Lapu City.
“Our advocacy is always to give land to the landless. Punta Engaño showed that housing can be given to the urban poor,” he said.
Rodriguez referred to 587 families who were given housing in sitio Kalipayan, barangay Punta Engaño through an agreement between the Sta. Lucia Development Corp. and the Lapu-Lapu City government. He also promised to increase registration of senior citizens to 20,000. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos