The Dawn of a New Beginning: The Lyceum of Northern Bulacan Holds Ground-Breaking Ceremony

Ms. Josefina Manalo Andaya

Ms. Josefina Manalo Andaya, school owner and  the President of the St. Raphael Montessori School, believes in dreaming big and doing something about the big dream.

“If you want to achieve something bigger, you must take the first step forward,” she said during the ground breaking ceremony for  the Lyceum of Northern Bulacan held on July 31, 2015.

Located in Daang  Maharlika, San Roque, San Rafael, Bulacan, it is a new school which promises to bring world-class education with its state-of-the-art facilities to serve the Elementary, High School and College levels.

Before the ground-breaking ceremony, a thanksgiving mass was offered, officiated by Rev. Fr. Vicente Lina, Jr. (Parish Priest and Rector of the Diocese Shrine and Parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cruz na Daan, San Rafael). Rev. Morisuke Yamakura, a Shinto Priest led everyone in the Japanese purifying rituals while Hon. San Rafael Vice Mayor Edison Veneracion led the laying of capsule.

Ms. Andaya with guests of honor getting ready for the ceremony

Also in attendance were guests of honor  including  Architect Danilo C. Ibay (President, DCI Architects),  Mr. Naokuni Miura, (General Manager of Tonets Corp. Internationa Division), Mr. Makoto Numata (General Manager, MODAIR) and Mr. Rolando M. Andaya (St. Raphael Montessori School).

The construction of this new educational institution is projected to be complete by 2017 with MODAIR as the general contractor. Modair trace its roots  from its mother company, Tonets Corporation, which started operation in 1934. Established in 1992 and until now, Modair continues to make its presence strong felt in the fields of HVAC, plumbing, and  sanitary, fire protection, clean room system, biotechnology, lighting and power, co-generation system, building automation and control system and district cooling system.

In her speech, Ms. Andaya pointed out: “Ang umaayaw ay hindi nagwawagi at ang nagwawagi ay hindi umaayaw. At isa po ako sa mga hindi umaayaw. Some people would ask me on why at my age, I still wanted to pursue my biggest dream, that is, this big project, the reason why we are gathered here today. Am I that ambitious or I just want to prove something? My answer is NO! None of those.

At one point in our lives, we dream, and we aspire to achieve this dream because of our sincere desire to leave a legacy. This is the reason why I did not stop and did not allow failure to overtake me. I have my strongest weapon and that is my determination to give back to the Lord and to the people of San Rafael all the blessings He has showered me and my family all these years.

The first big step is today. I have been blessed to find people who are smarter than I am and they help me execute the vision I have . These people are the ones who are with me today, Mr. Makoto Numata for being so kind, supportive, understanding and generous; Architect Danilo C. Ibay, the brain behind the state-of-the art building and architectural perspectives;  Arch. Jovel Burgos for patiently and consistently assisting me in all the pre-construction requirements, and to our Kumpadre Mr. Abel Pangan who introduced Arch. Ibay to us and making sure that there is coordination among us.

Let me share with you the overwhelming happiness of bring fulfillment to a dream, the outpouring pride of giving the town of San Rafael the kind of education that they deserve and the fervent prayer for the realization of all these dreams. And when the time comes, this  will no longer a dream but a reality.”

As early as now, many are already anticipating the day when Lyceum of Northern Bulacan  will open its doors to give its future clientele only the best education they rightfully deserve.

 

Finally, the ground-breaking ceremony