In line with the celebration of Valenzuela City’s 26th Charter Day, Mayor WES Gatchalian led the inauguration and blessing of the newly established Malinta Pumping Station, and new school buildings of Pinalagad Elementary School, Barangay Malinta, February 12, 2024.

The freshly built pumphouse located in Barangay Malinta is a vital project of the City in terms of flood control and mitigation. A reliable solution that will prevent and reduce flood risks to residents and businesses during the rainy season in the low-lying areas of Malinta and neighboring barangays of Malabon City. This newly inaugurated pumphouse brings the total number of pumping stations in the city to twenty-four (24). The pumphouse includes three (3) units of 270-horsepower water pumps with a capacity of 2 cubic meters for each pump and a 500 KW electric generator for backup.

In addition, Mayor WES also led the opening of two (2) new 4-storey school buildings at Pinalagad, Barangay Malinta. Standing in a 300-square-meter lot donated by the Gan family, the new Pinalagad Elementary School buildings come with 24 classrooms, an activity center, a cafeteria, and an administrative and faculty office. The new elementary school can accommodate roughly 1,000 pupils per day and addresses the need to build a new school within the Pinalagad community.

In his short remarks during the ceremony, Mayor WES shared his inspiration of how he came up with meaningful projects for the Pamilyang Valenzuelano in Sitio Pinalagad. “Sa totoo lang, hindi ko po nakikita ang vision noong panahon, dahil alam kong napakasikip ng lugar natin. Nagsisikipan ang mga bahay dito, nagsisiksikan ang mga tao dito, dahil wala po tayong lupa. Pero pwede palang mangyari ang isang bagay na akala natin ay imposible. Dito sa Pinalagad ay nagtayo po tayo ng gusali na maaaring magbigay ng classroom sa mahigit isang libong estudyante,” he stated. [To be honest, I didn't see the vision at the time, because I knew our place was very crowded. The houses are crowded here, the people are crowded here, because we have no land. But something that we thought was impossible can happen. Here in Pinalagad, we have built buildings that can provide classrooms for more than a thousand students]. Mayor WES also expressed his gratitude to Mr. Kelvin Gan and his family for donating the lot where the new public school is located.

Also gracing the event were Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja, City Councilors, Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Noel Bagano, Malinta Punong Barangay Buding Balajadia and Council, SK Federation President Jai Esplana and SK Malinta Council.

The City Government of Valenzuela is continuously addressing issues that may affect the welfare of the Pamilyang Valenzuelano — from reducing and preventing flood risks for their safety to building more accessible and inclusive infrastructure that will cultivate the knowledge of the Valenzuelano youth. 

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