New UP agri campus rises

HOME-GROWN developer for sustainable real estate in the South, Damosa Land welcomes to its premier integrated township Agriya the University of the Philippines-Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment (UP-PSAE).

Together with Anflo Management and Investment Corp., Damosa Land and UP held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first UP-PSAE campus.

The companies also signed the Deed of Donation declaring the turnover of the 31,800 square-meter property to the UP-PSAE, set to be home to 14 graduate and postgraduate agriculture-focused programs ranging from Agribusiness Management, Agroforestry, Animal Science, and many more.

“Today we are not only groundbreaking for the establishment of this building, but we’re also paving the way for the advancement of agricultural education here in Mindanao,” shared Damosa Land president Cary Lagdameo. “Instead of sending our best and brightest students to different parts of the country and the world to study this field, we can now provide opportunities for them here in Mindanao—the food basket of the Philippines.”

As an advocate for the Southern Philippines’ agricultural heritage, Damosa Land takes pride in the project as it continues to uplift and spur growth for the local agricultural sector. The future UP-PSAE campus, set to finish construction by October 2024, can accommodate up to 200 students of agriculture who share the same vision of elevating agri-business skills of Mindanao-based communities.

UP-PSAE will be built on a 31,800-sq.m property in the Agriya township, which will be donated by the Anflo Management and Investment Corporation and Damosa Land Inc. The first building will be donated by the Anflo Group through the Don Antonio O. Floirendo Sr. Foundation.

UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr., who was at the groundbreaking event, shared: “Right at the very start, our vision is to make UP graduate education more accessible, especially…in Mindanao. We aim to contribute to human-resource development not just of the universities, but also public and private institutions like the Department of Agriculture, [as well as] the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.”