Flying high at 50

MANILA, Philippines — It was a night where everyone’s spirit was flying high.

To mark its 50th year of excellence in Philippine aviation education, PATTS College of Aeronautics recently held a golden anniversary gala at the Forbes Ballroom of Conrad Manila in Pasay City.

Buddies of ‘Blue Eagle’ Ambrosio Valdez join the celebration. (Clockwise) Jovy Cruz, Quintin Pastrana, Boy Elegir, Deo Dionisio, Nelson Leung, Topax Colayco, Serge de la Fuente, Rene Garovillo and Tony Quila.

Leading personalities of the country’s aviation industry trooped to the elegantly decorated venue to help celebrate the momentous occasion with the learning institution’s officials.

One of the highlights of the event was a photo exhibit,  which chronicled the 50-year history of the school, tracing its origins to a vintage World War II hangar, and its classrooms and offices were contained in that small area near the old Domestic Airport.

(Seated, from left) Chito and Nomen Constantino with Mary Ann Colayco and Ruby Benitez; (standing, from left) Rico Tantoco, Tony Zulueta, Carla Cruz, Nini Valdez, Nena Tantoco, Carmen Africa and Bebot Laurel.

Now, PATTS College of Aeronautics’ modern campus sits on a sprawling field along Lombos Avenue in Parañaque City, with a massive five-story building equipped with top-of-the-line facilities, its own sports gym, a multi-purpose quadrangle and its own chapel.

Leading the anniversary festivities were chairman and CEO lawyer Ambrosio Valdez, vice chair and CFO Felisa Valdez, and president and COO engineer Jose Eduardo  Valdez, who all made sure that guests enjoyed the de luxe dinner menu, which was served with overflowing wine. A musical extravaganza of leading artists was headed by “Concert King” Martin Nievera.

(From left) Ricky Laurel, Yoli Ayson and Nini Valdez with CATS Motors Inc. president Felix Ang and wife Grace.

With the institution’s tradition of excellence and its guiding principles of innovation and strategic partnerships that have become its trademark that other aviation schools could never duplicate, it is easy to predict that PATTS College of Aeronautics will continue to soar even higher throughout the next century.