The Cebu City government signed several memoranda of agreement with 22 public and private schools for the city’s college scholarship program yesterday.
But this time, the Asian College of Technology (ACT) and the Asian College of Technology International Education Foundation Inc. (ACTIEF), both owned by Cebu City Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa, were not among the program’s partner schools.
“We chose to defer the inclusion of ACT (and ACTIEF) in the list of accredited schools for the meantime since we are still waiting for a legal opinion from the City Legal Office,” said Ida Yting, head of the city’s scholarship program.
Last month, the Ombudsman ordered Abellanosa’s dismissal from public service for grave misconduct since two of his schools were beneficiaries of the scholarship program.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the exclusion of ACT and ACTIEF is “normal.”
Different
“The mayor and the council may be included in the issue. So let them first settle their conflict. As of now, I don’t think it would be too good (to include ACT and ACTIEF),” Rama said.
But the mayor said the ACT and ACTIEF students under the scholarship program will still continue getting the benefits until they graduate. But no new students from either ACT or ACTIEF will be accommodated anymore, Rama said.
He said it would be better than transferring the students to a different school. Sought for comment on the exclusion, Abellanosa said he doesn’t have any problem with the city government’s decision.
Allowance
“I don’t really think there is malice on the part of the Cebu City government. I believe ACT can wait as it has been waiting to get paid for many semesters,” he said.
Under the city’s scholarship program each scholar gets P10,000 as tuition per semester. They also get P1,000 as allowance for school supplies.
Rama said he instructed Councilor Alvin Dizon, who heads the committee on education, to ensure better quality of the city’s accredited scholars.
“We should also put pressure on the enrollee and give them an obligation also (to make sure they really graduate),” he added.
He also assigned Yting, Raddy Diola and Ester Cubero of the Local School Board to assist with this.
The list of accredited schools include University of the Philippines Cebu, Cebu City Medical Center College of Nursing, Cebu Institute of Technology-University, Cebu Eastern College, Cebu Normal University, Cebu Technological University, Don Bosco College, STI College Cebu, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, University of Cebu and University of the Visayas. Other schools are BMC Training Center for Welding and Fabrication, Banilad Center for Professional Development, Britech College Inc., CBD College, Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise, Cebu Mary Immaculate College, CRDP Caregiver School Corp., College of Technological Sciences, Golden Success College, Primary Structures Educational Foundation and Rizwoods College.
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