After months of preparation which included many over-time hours put in by a dedicated team of workers to complete the construction of various infrastructure and facilities, the Goducate Training Center (GTC) in San Miguel Iloilo Philippines was officially opened by Mrs Cecilia Tan, patron of Goducate, and the Hon Arthur Defensor Sr the Governor of the Province of Iloilo on 11th February, Saturday.
About 20 guests from Singapore including Mrs Tan had arrived in Iloilo the previous night and after a restful stay at a hotel in town, we packed up and moved to the GTC staff housing on Saturday morning. The official program started at 10 am sharp with the singing of the National Anthems of the Philippines and Singapore, and carried on smoothly with speeches by the Governor, and by Dr Paul Choo, founder of Goducate. Also in attendance at this important occasion were the other directors of Goducate, country representatives as well as the Mayor of San Miguel, Iloilo.
Ribbon cutting by Mrs Cecilia Tan, Hon Arthur Defensor Sr the Governor of Iloilo Province, and Dr Paul Choo, Goducate founder
The ribbon cutting and the unveiling by Mrs Cecilia Tan were no doubt some of the highlights, and then several hundred guests were invited to partake a beautiful, delicious buffet lunch prepared by our own staff, who had gone through intensive training both in the GTC and also in Singapore!
The afternoon activities were designed to be fun and educational at the same time, and many guests stayed on. The young and the brave at heart took rides on the zipline, and there were opportunities for mango harvesting, as well as sampling the freshest produce off the plants, all grown organically!
Listen to the agriculture expert explain the finer points of organic container gardening
harvesting mangoes!
flying across the lake on the zipline!
Certificates were also presented to a big group of farmers who had successfully undergone training to improve their crop production and learnt and applied efficient methods of farming. Our agriculture consultant, Professor Ric, spent hours with various guests, introducing us to hydroponics, container gardening, and even helped us with tilapia fishing. The sheep, though, were a bit shy and ran away from us!
With the pomp and the ceremony behind us and the departure of the VIPs, the Goducate Training Center and its dedicated staff could now look forward to the real work of training and helping needy Asians help themselves in the weeks and months ahead.
View video clip of the Grand Opening!
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