15/10/2021
Let the CBSUA name stay!
It is the collective and recurring call of the people upon receiving the news about the creation of House Bill No. 10170 or An Act of Renaming the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) in the Province of Camarines Sur to the Gov. Luis R. Villafuerte University of Agriculture. The said bill was proposed by the Camarines Sur 2nd District Representative Luis Raymond “LRay” F. Villafuerte Jr., who is also the son of the late Luis R. Villafuerte.
The reason behind the proposal, according to LRay, is his father’s “unrelenting dedication in championing the agriculture and education sector [which] is shown in his active participation as CBSUA’s Board Member until his demise on [the] 8th [of] September 2021.” Thus, he stated that the proposed bill would honor his father’s memory and advocacy.
Upon reaching the public, especially the residents of Camarines Sur, HB 10170 stirred varying reactions, most of them negative, and they strongly urged the cancellation of the bill. They utilized several platforms, intensifying their appeal to reiterate that it is not rightful and sensible to name CBSUA after the deceased Villafuerte or to any prominent personality because, at the very outset, the state university’s purpose is not to honor a few elite but to provide service to the people. Moreover, the achievements of the university are not only attributable to a single person but to the relentless, dedicated, and unified collaboration of its stakeholders and citizens.
There were several times that the state university underwent changes of name. The main campus in Pili began as an Elementary Farm School for boys built by the American Administration in 1918. It was in 1923 when it became a secondary school, which was named Camarines Sur Agricultural High School (CAHS).
The school was renamed in 1954 when it was endowed with the regional level status due to the enactment of Republic Act 1089. Consequently, it was then known as Camarines Sur Regional Agricultural School (CSRAS). Six years later, CSRAS changed to Camarines Sur National Agricultural School (CSNAS) upon obtaining its national status by the General Appropriation Act. In 1972, it acquired its new name - Camarines Sur Agricultural College (CSAC). After ten years, by the effect of Batas Pambansa Blg. 198 created by former Assemblywoman Dolores H. Sison, Camarines Sur State Agricultural College (CSSAC) became its new name.
During the year 2000, Calabanga Polytechnic College (CPC), which was formerly known as Calabanga National School of Arts and Trades (CNSAT), and Bicol Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) that was previously named Sipocot National School of Arts and Trades (SNSAT) were incorporated into the larger scope of CSSAC, making them the institution’s Calabanga and Sipocot campuses, respectively. In 2002, CSSAC adopted the tertiary program of the Camarines Sur Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (CASIFMAS) and was renamed CSSAC Pasacao Extension Campus; it was later recognized as CSSAC - Pasacao Campus.
Lastly, it was on the 12th day of October 2009 when CSSAC became a state university and is now known as CBSUA.
Though CBSUA has gone through numerous changes in its name, there has never been a single time that it took the name of any person. Furthermore, there is NO concrete evidence that the Villafuertes supervised its establishment. They might have contributed to the betterment of the state university, but it is not a sufficient reason to call it their own, more so imposing the name of the late Villafuerte to replace CBSUA.
As the university’s hymn resonates, “our CBSUA of old, of love, and glory told,” the students, faculty and staff, alumni, and other concerned individuals amplify their voices to retain the name of the institution.
UP Ibalon, as a regional organization, partakes in the unrelenting and resolute plea to cancel the enactment of HB 10170. Clearly, there is no solid ground to serve as a basis for changing CBSUA’s name in favor of the Villafuertes. There are other means of providing tribute and recognition to the late Luis R. Villafuerte, and proposing to entirely affect the CBSUA campuses is certainly not part of those ways.
The bill has passed the first reading, but it will still undergo an arduous process before it will be enacted. Thus, there is still hope that it will not be allowed to take effect.
Therefore, together with the united voices of Bicolanos, the UP Ibalon echoes the same call. Once again, let the CBSUA name stay!
