Mayor: Who’s fooling the people?

CTU denies enrollment going on for ‘mountain college’ in barangay Bonbon

by Jose Santino S. Bunachita
Reporter

An official of the Cebu Technological University (CTU) yesterday said there was “no enrollment” going on yet for an extension campus in the mountain barangay of Bonbon, just the conduct of admission tests.
The use of the school’s logo in announcement banners was done without authorization, said Jerlito Letrondo, CTU’s chief administrative officer for administration.
Letrondo clarified this in a press conference in City Hall following an emergency meeting called by City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo.
Letrondo said CTU was in talks with Cebu City south district Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa for the establishment of an extension campus in Bonbon, but that several requirements still had to be met.
No Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been signed yet with the state university nor is there approval from the school’s Board of Regents (BOR).
Last Saturday, tension ensued when City Hall representatives showed up in Bonbon where Congressman Abellanosa’s crew was renovating an old barangay gym into two classrooms as a temporary site for a “mountain college” that he announced would open on June 22 as an extension of CTU until a permanent building is constructed.
Abellanosa complained that City Hall was “harassing him” instead of supporting a much needed campus for upland residents.
Regular classes started yesterday in the main campus of CTU in Cebu city.
What happens to those who qualify and decide to enroll in CTU? If they pass admission requirements, Letrondo suggested that they report for classes in CTU’s main campus even if they are a week behind in classes.
Mayor Michael Rama, in a phone interview yesterday, said the rule of law should be upheld and that he would let the city attorney to handle the dispute.
“Are they trying to fool the people? Why is that?” said the mayor, who was out of town yesterday.
“It’s good that CTU has already presented,” said Rama.
City Attorney Castillo said the construction crew of the congressman should stop .
“If they still continue there, we’ll have to send our inspectors. Based on the pronouncement of CTU now, why should they continue? There’s no enrollment, there are no classes since they’re still in the preliminaries. There’s no Memorandum of Agreement and no authority. What would be their legal basis? It’s incumbent for them to stop,” said Castillo.
City Hall workers took down tarpaulin banners put up by Congressman Abellanosa at the site of the barangay gym last Saturday.
Members of a clearing-demolition team as well as armed personnel were sent to the area. Tarp banners announcing enrollment going on were taken down by members of the Cebu City disaster office. The banners were spotted in barangays Pung-ol Sibugay, Sinsin, Sudlon I, Sudlon II and Babag said CCDRRMC executive director Simeon Romarate.
Letrondo, together with CTU administrative officer Marvey Arnoco met with city government officials in City Hall yesterday morning.
“If you try to look at the tarpaulin, it says enrollment is going on. But there is no such thing as enrollment because we only conducted an admission test. That’s just preliminary before we can admit a student. So there are still no students,” said Letrondo.
Congressman Abellanosa facilitated a P3 million budget in the national budget this year for the honoraria of teachers and personnel for an extension campus.
About 90 individuals in barangay Bonbon took the admission test during three sessions conducted in the mountain barangay.
In the first batch, less than 40 passed. Results of the second and third batches of tests conducted just last week have not yet been released.
hose who pass the admission test, have to be interviewed and their high school grades will be assessed.
“Even if they say there are complete facilities in Bonbon, we can’t conduct classes if there are only a few students because that won’t be feasible,” Letrondo said.
He CTU needs at least two sections for an extension campus or 80 to 90 students.
CTU, which is funded by the national government, has more than 10 extension campuses and branches in different parts of Cebu.
The main campus is in Cebu City. There are other campuses in towns of Naga-San Fernando, Barili, Dumanjug, Moalboal, Malabuyoc-Santander-Oslob, Tuburan, Argao, San Francisco-Camotes.
The latest is an extension school in San Remigio town inaugurated last May 27 by Gov. Hilario Davide III as part of the CTU branch in Daanbantayan town.
The Cebu provincial government funded the P5 million building on a lot owned by the town.
Letrondo said the usual process is for mayors or local officials to approach CTU to open a branch or extension campus. After that, a MOA is drafted to define each party’s roles. This needs approval by the school’s Board of Regents.
The school usually handles the academic aspect of conducting classes and developing programs. The local government provides the facilities.
A permit is also needed from Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 7 for the extension class, he said.
“As far as CTU is concerned, we also have to protect our interest. That’s why we have to uphold our standards and comply with the other requirements. We’re still in the first step. Taas pa kaayo tag trabahuonon (We still have a lot to work on),” Letrondo said.