A week after she graduated, Veronica Caballero applied for a call center job in Cebu City. She had to.
The 22-year-old city scholar who majored in Education, can’t apply yet for a teaching job.
Her transcript of records (TOR) won’t be released by her school, the Asian College of Technology International Educational Foundation (ACTIEF) because of questions about City Hall’s susbsidies to the school after the Ombudsman dismissed the school owner, Rep. Rodigo Abellanosa, for conflict of interest.
“(Getting my diploma and TOR is) very important because I need it to apply for a job. Right now, I’m still searching for a job, anything as long as I can earn an income,” she told Cebu Daily News.
She said the school administration called all city scholars to a meeting last March 6 and told them that the diplomas won’t be released until the city settles their payables to ACTIEF in full – P135 million covering two years.
READ: Should Cebu city gov’t pay ACT for city scholarships?
She said the scholars were made to sign a waiver.
They joined the graduation rites and marched on stage but only received an empty diploma jacket.
Waiver
“The city government should just pay their debt to our school. and diploma. It’s their responsibility and obligation. It’s not about the case, it’s about the issue between the city mayor and congressman (Abellanosa),” Cabellero lamented.
Dr. Stephen Descallar, ACTIEF president, confirmed that they asked the scholars to sign a waiver.
He said they did the same for all graduating students who had pending payables so that they can still participate in the commencement exercises.
However, the graduates can’t get their diploma and TOR unless their payables are settled.
Ruling
“In the case of most scholars, their payables were due to the nonpayment by City Hall of their accounts in the last two years. The ball is now in their hands,” Descallar told CDN in a text message.
City officials have withheld paying the school after the Ombudsman last year ordered the dismissal from public service of south district Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa, who owns the ACTIEF.
The congressman was found criminally and administratively guilty of violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act when he signed up his school for the city’s scholarship program.
Abellanosa was then a city councilor at the time his school received the largest share of funding from the city’s scholarship program.
City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo said they may be reprimanded by the Commission on Audit (COA).
Mayor Michael Rama clarified that the city government has no problem with payiing.
“We have to think that these students went and enjoyed their education there (ACTIEF). I was the one who even earlier had that amount released until there was a case and there were findings,” the mayor said.
The Cebu City Council will hold an executive session next Monday to address the plight of the students.
Councilor Alvin Dizon, chairman of the committee on education, said the city government should resolve the issue for the sake of the graduates.
Safety mechanisms
“They should not be sacrificed. Hopefully, we can reach a win-win solution,” Dizon said.
Castillo said they will be presenting three options to the lawyers of ACTIEF.
The first option is to have the P135 million consigned in court. The second option involves the city paying the amount subject to condition that ACT will reimburse it if there is liability on the school’s part.
The third option is for ACT to put up a bond so that if the COA disallows the disbursement, the city can go after the bond.
“These are safety mechanisms we’re looking at. Ultimately, on our end, we don’t want to prejudice the interests of the graduated students to access their TOR (and diploma). It should be given to the graduates,” Castillo said.