Science High facing power disconnection

YOUNG

The Cebu City National Science High School has only up to today, Wednesday, to pay over P369,000 in unpaid electric bills otherwise its students numbering close to a thousand will hold classes without lights.

The school’s principal, Evelyn Pielago, sought the help of the city government to defer the disconnection notice issued to them by the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) last Monday.

In a meeting with Cebu City Councilor Joy Augustus Young, chairperson of the committee on education of the Cebu City Council, Pielago revealed that their monthly budget for their Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), worth only P94,000, was not even enough to cover their electricity bills.

The school’s administration was only able to pay the bill for the month of January, amounting to P191,000.

“Our MOOE also includes the budget needed to pay our internet, telephone and water bills, and fees for trainings and seminars for our teachers. The balance on our electricity was worth three months,” said Pielago.

She added that since she assumed as principal in 2017, they have been paying an average of P110,000 per month for their electric consumption alone.

“Our electricity bill has risen from an average of P90,000 to P100,000 due to the rising number of gadgets we’ve been using. This is because we’re integrating modern technology into our teaching which is instrumental for the K-12 program,” Pielago explained.

Young said he will coordinate with representatives from Veco to give the school a few days to settle their bill before disconnecting their electricity supply.

Young also said that the budget for local schools comes from the national office of the Department of Education (DepEd).

“DepEd has to properly manage the budget. Officials from the central office in Metro Manila make the decisions for everybody up to the schools in the mountain barangays,” said Young.

He urged DepEd to reassess their initiatives in providing electronic gadgets to schools without planning its corresponding costs.

He said DepEd officials from the national office should, at the very least, coordinate with local schools to get a closer look on their respective situations.

Cost-Cutting Measures

Pielago said they have been implementing several cost cutting measures especially after failing to pay their monthly power bill.

“Our MOOE for the past few months has been used up. The last payment we made to Veco was in January. Now, we don’t allow teachers and students to charge personal gadgets. Using refrigerators is not allowed and air conditioners must be turned off at 3:00 p.m.,” said Pielago.

However, she clarified that they still allow students to use specialized facilities such as computer and experimental laboratories in order not to hamper their learning process.

“Classes just barely started and we don’t want our lessons to be disrupted because of these issues,” Pielago said.