Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian and Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, along with Philippine Railways Institute  Usec. Cesar Chavez, on Friday, signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the Academic Partnership between DOTr, PRI, and Valenzuela Technological College.

It was followed by the unveiling of the Metro Manila Subway and the North-South Commuter Railways scale model exhibit stationed at the center of the Valenzuela City Hall.

Gatchalian said it is an effort to bolster the learning opportunities for the students of ValTech, that he pushed to forge an academic partnership with DOTr through the PRI.

"This collaboration was intended to broaden the curriculum and practices for engineering courses at ValTech, through the support and expertise of PR," the Mayor said.

A clause in the memorandum of agreement stated that the partnership was established "in furtherance of its vision to offer advanced programs in the field of Engineering, which will meet the demands of a knowledge-based and technology-driven economy."

Further, the city also pursues offering railway-related vocational courses of the Valenzuelanos through collaboration with the DOTr, as a means of enhancing the students' qualification for employment in the industry.

The scope of areas of cooperation includes Academe-Industry linkage, Students Internship Program or On-the-Job Training, Faculty/Student training and seminars, and Skill certification through the DOTr Philippine Railways Institute. Furthermore, the new campus of ValTech in Barangay Parada is slated to open this year.

Leading the signing of the memorandum of agreement were Gatchalian, Bautista, and Chavez, PRI Usec. Annelie Lontoc, Asec. Jorjette Aquino, LRTA Administrator Atty. Hernand Cabrera, Atty. Celeste Laute representing PNR, ValTech Trustee Mr. Ramon Lopez, ValTech President Dr. Yolanda Gadon, and Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja and Council.

Succeeding the signing of the MOA was the unveiling of the scale models of the Metro Manila Subway and North-South Commuter Railways exhibit at the center of the Valenzuela City Hall. The models demonstrate the subway depot and an electric-powered model of the tunnel boring machine that was used for the subway project.

It will be a home for the two mega railway projects and the first railway institution in the country also known as the Philippine Railways Institute.

"Valenzuela City was beyond fortunate as this "project of the century" (Metro Manila Subway and the North-South Commuter Railway) will not only provide convenience to the commuting experience of the Valenzuelanos by cutting down travel time, but it shall also generate more job and business opportunities for the constituents surrounding these railway projects – further boosting the local economy in the long run," Gatchalian said.

With the projects underway, the city government believes that the progress of the country is the progress of the city, according to the local chief executive.