Tarlac State University’s College of Public Administration and Governance is now officially ready to fully transfer to the Lucinda Campus.
The blessing and inauguration of the college’s three-story modern building was held this morning (September 2), starting with a Thanksgiving Mass officiated by Rev. Fr. Rommel Vergara, followed by a speech from Dr. Lora L. Yusi, Commission on Higher Education Regional Office III director, who was invited as the guest of honor and speaker.
"I’d like to see this building as a commitment that in TSU, you have a different breed of students, and these students and faculty will help the country move forward from this dark history of corruption. My dear students, you are ‘iskolar ng bayan,’ you are ‘iskolars para sa bayan,’” Dr. Yusi said.
Since the building will be occupied by public administration students who will become civil servants in the future, Dr. Yusi reminded the university and the college to produce the “finest, not necessarily the brightest” public administration graduates who are ethically driven with accountability, honesty, and transparency.
“We need a new breed of public servants who are honest. We need public servants who work not just for money but who work for service,” Dr. Yusi added.
In response, CPAG Dean Dr. Edwin T. Caoleng accepted the CHED Director’s call for a more efficient government and public servants.
“We shall continue to aim to be innovative and produce public servants who shall embody the values of good governance. This is the challenge of our director in this critical period where corruption and inefficiency in government bureaucracy are prevalent,” Dean Caoleng said.
The new CPAG building, located beside the College of Education, is a project initiated by former TSU President Dr. Myrna Q. Mallari in 2018. Eventually, the project was continued during the term of incumbent TSU President Dr. Arnold E. Velasco.
The building features a spacious student lobby where the college can also hold small programs.
"Ito po ay simbolo ng pag-asa at magandang kinabukasan sa ating mga estudyante (where) future public servants, policy makers, and leaders will be molded. Leaders will serve with excellence, integrity, and compassion. Today, this event will be remembered as a celebration of progress as the university works towards its vision of being [a] globally competitive institution recognized for excellence in sciences and emerging technologies," Pres. Velasco said.
Meanwhile, the former CPAG building at the Main Campus will be occupied by the School of Law effective this first semester.
The master’s and doctoral degree programs of CPAG received their Level IV retained status, the highest level of program accreditation granted by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP), last February 2025.
Moreover, Dean Caoleng shared that the Bachelor of Public Administration program will undergo its Level IV AACCUP program accreditation this September, with hopes that CPAG will be the first college to obtain the Level IV accreditation status for all its programs.
As an institution, Dr. Yusi said that TSU is one of the most admired universities not only in the region but all over the country, as stated by CHED.
"You are the first state university in Region III [that] achieved a 100% compliance for all the programs (pertaining to the Certificate of Program Compliance), and there are 12 SUCs in the region. Please be proud of that accomplishment because this is not just the accomplishment of President Velasco but an accomplishment of each and every single person of Tarlac State University," Dr. Yusi added in her speech.
The event was well attended by former college and university officials and notable alumni of the college, namely Dr. Nicanor Caingat, former CPAG dean; Dr. Ma. June Carlos, former CPAG dean and university registrar; Dr. Myrna Q. Mallari, former TSU president and CPAG alumna; and Hon. Reynaldo Catacutan, alumni regent and CPAG alumnus. (jlm/OPA)
Photo courtesy: Franc Lewis R. Juanatas
