‘CTU needs to secure permission from barangay’

by Jose Santino S. Bunachita, Reporter

THOUGH putting up partitions won’t require a building permit, the Cebu Technological University should ask permission from officials of the upland barangay of Bonbon, Cebu City to operate a school there.
“We have to look into how the facility is being used. Since the rightful owner of the facility is the barangay, they should get approval from the barangay officials. But once the actual building for the campus will be built, they would need a building permit,” Cebu City Building Official Engr. Jose Marie Poblete said.
Poblete said this in response to the argument posed by Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa of Cebu City’s south district that there is no illegal construction in the gym to be used by CTU as its extension campus.
“We only brought armchairs, tables, blackboards and mobile partitions into the CTU mountain college extension gym in barangay Bonbon. Is this what Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama calls illegal construction?” Abellanosa said.
The Cebu City Legal Office will meet with education and barangay officials today to discuss the legal status of CTU’s extension campus which is scheduled to open on June 22 in barangay Bonbon, Cebu City.
Arrival
“I have to know what’s the real situation on the ground. I want to be clarified. If there are permits, why are these not shown. I’m not really familiar with the situation. We have to verify the facts,” City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo said.
The meeting was scheduled in the wake of last Saturday’s arrival of city p olice and the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team led by Raquel Arce at the CTU extension site in the upland barangay.
Their arrival sparked tension after Abellanosa and former congressman Tomas Osmeña questioned their presence in the area.
Councilor Alvin Dizon, who heads the committee on education, said the executive department should just support the project.
“My humble appeal to Mayor Rama: Let’s set aside partisan politics and allow the operation of CTU campus extension for the benefit of our youth,” he said. Dizon is with the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc in the City Council.
Lot acquisition
Abellanosa insisted that there’s no illegal construction at the site. He said he knew that the mayor is opposed to his project in Bonbon.
The CTU extension campus offers courses in Elementary Education, Secondary Education and Information and Computer Technology.
Arce earlier said the team went to the area after receiving a letter from Bonbon barangay chairman Alexander Ibarrita requesting them to verify reports of illegal construction in the area.
Based on the records of the Office of the Building Official (OBO), no application has been filed by the school for the extension campus, Poblete said.
Abellanosa insisted they don’t need a permit since they’re only putting up partitions inside the sports complex.
The sports complex stands on a private lot owned by former barangay chairman Eduardo Cabriana, who is allied with the BO-PK.
Abellanosa said there is already a P25.5-million budget from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the CTU extension building.
He said it hasn’t started yet because of problems on the lot acquisition.