August 11 proved to be a special day as 27 young men en and women chosen to be scholars for the Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Management (BS-REM) course at the University of Batangas this year gathered for an appreciation day for national leaders of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA).
Undertaking education programs, especially for the youth, has been a long-standing advocacy of CREBA, clearly etched as one of the 33 pillars it has set as a resolute guiding principle for its existence as an industry leader-association in the decades ahead.
In 2002, CREBA pioneered formal real estate education through what is now the Executive Diploma Program in Real Estate Management in partnership with the De La La Salle-College of Saint Benilde especially designed post-baccalaureate.
This education advocacy was further fueled by the passage of the Real Estate Service Act (RESA) in 2009 which transferred the real estate profession under the ambit of the Professional Regulation Commission, legislating in the process the 4-year BS-REM course as a pre-requisite for licensure: a huge step in raising the bar of professionalism among real estate service practitioners to bring them at par with their counterparts from across the globe.
We could not have chosen a better academic partner. Led by former Congressman and cabinet secretary Dr. Hernando “Nani”” Perez, the University of Batangas is s a leader in quality higher education in Southern Luzon.
Its Lipa City campus is strategically located at the city center; it has highly qualified academic personnel and has produced countless board topnotchers; its systems are advanced and the facilities state-of-the-art.
The search for qualified incoming freshmen was likewise supported by the potent group Batangas Forum composed of Batangas-based retired and active business leaders.
Getting into the maic 27 was not an easy feat for the students, as they had to hurdle the strict academic admission criteria and prove themselves qualified for the grant of scholarship, not to mention the stiff retention policy that awaits them for the next 4 years. The final list is a product of rigorous interviews and a careful selection process that yielded the “cream of the crop” from among Batangas’ various cities and towns.
I had the chance to know the student-applicants and heard each of their 27 different stories, well, mostly sad ones.
But what kept these young people going were their hopes and dreams of a better future for their families beyond their present deprivations and hardships, armed with the faith that trying and working harder will eventually lead to limitless s opportunities.
This is the same passion that drives us in CREBA in tirelessly pushing for its advocacies for the last 45 years, guided by its unrelenting g vision of “A Home for Every Filipino.”
Pursuing this vision has made CREBA continually commit its resources and the expertise of its members to push for laws and policies towards a more viable housing market for all, with government providing an enabling environment for increased housing production by the private sector.
Carrying out the goals and objectives of the Chamber makes us confident that our struggle for housing reforms is never a lost fight. There is always room for responsible individuals who will combat the social ills of homelessness; and CREBA will continue to pursue its vision of providing the homeless with decent and affordable homes that they deserve.
During the appreciation program, an air of hope enveloped everyone in the room. You could see it in the eyes of every optimistic student and parent.
Today, 27 stories of challenge, hope and faith. Tomorrow, 27 stories of success and lives changed.
Published in the Manila Bulletin August 2018
