MAYOR Evelio Leonardia reiterated his aspirations for the Bacolod City College (BCC) to become a university as he led the inauguration of the institution’s new facilities at Barangay Taculing.New facilities included the 2,218-seater, fully air-conditioned Activity Center, Information Systems Building and Business Education and Administration Building.Leonardia, who is considered as the founding father of the BCC, also paid tribute to the late Councilor Constancio Legaspi and Councilor Renecito Novero, chair of the SP Committee on Education.Legaspi and Novero, who was also present at the event, both authored the ordinance establishing the city-funded college for children of less privileged families so that they are able to finish tertiary degrees and build their own careers.Msgr. Felix Pasquin led the blessing rites while First Lady Elsa Fuentes-Leonardia and Councilors Archie Baribar and Israel Salanga, who happens to be an alumnus of the institution.Also present were BCC president and administrator Dr. Johanna Ann Bayoneta and college dean Dr. Elias Alias, alumni, students and parents.Leonardia shared that some people were asking him why he pushed for a budget of more than P3 million for the college.“Think about it, we talk about the future of these children… I believe that every centavo of this P3-million that we pour in this campus is all worth it,” Leonardia said.For his part, Novero described the school as the “cradle of fortune for the poor and the under-privileged but deserving students and young people of the city of Bacolod,”He recalled that the establishment of the BCC started as a dream and a vision of Leonardia back in 1997.“Now we see a grandiose reality of his dream”, Novero stressed, adding that he is grateful and honored because he was tasked to draft the ordinance that eventually gave birth to the establishment of the institution.The councilor also said that the vision and dream grew into a determination that rebels against any opposition or color.Meanwhile, Bayoneta also echoed Novero’s statement as she lauded the impact of Leonardia’s dream to mould BCC from a once nomadic school with only 135 enrollees and no facilities to a future-ready school with even bigger potentials.“No words can describe how grateful we are for what he has done selflessly for these students and their families, our teachers and the community we serve,” she said.The school administrator told the attendees of the event that the education at BCC is an investment for young Bacoleño’s future. (PR)