Parents to Rama: ‘Fulfill your promise to help us’

Mayor Rama says scholars enroll in ACT at their own risk

Some parents of Cebu City scholars yesterday appealed to Mayor Michael Rama to keep  his promise to help them ensure a  better future for their children.

“Tumanon unta ni Mayor Mike Rama iyang obligasyon kay nisaad siya namo nga tabangan mi niya pinaagi sa scholarship program. Wala miy labot sa politika. Tumana imong obligasyon, tumana imong saad,” said Cristina Gutierrez in a press conference.

(Mayor Mike Rama should fulfill his obligation because he promised that he’d help us through the scholarship program. Spare us from the politics. Fulfill your your promise.)
Gutierrez’s daughter graduated as a Cebu City scholar from Asian College of Technology International Educational Foundation (ACT) last March.

The graduate  could not find a job because the school won’t release the  transcript of records (TOR) of  Cebu City government scholars pending the payment by City Hall of the scholars’ tuition for the last two school years.

The city government refused to pay the allotment of  P10,000 per scholar per semester  after the Ombudsman found Cebu City south district Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa, school founder, guilty of misconduct for conflict of interest. The city government still owes ACT around P135 million.

Veronica Caballero, who graduated last March with an Education degree, said she couldn’t take the licensure examination for teachers because the Professional Regulation Commission requires that shesubmit her TOR.

“I had to pay P6,500.00 for my review. That is not easy money. Please help us open the mind of the mayor for him to pay. He should not put our future at risk,” she said.

“If dili gyud molihok si Mayor, mag-rally mi sa atubangan sa City Hall. Daghan ang uyon ani. Kay mao man ni among gusto, magkahiusa mi. Mangadto mi sa City Hall (If  the mayor won’t  act on this, we will hold a protest rally in front of City Hall. Many students have agreed to do this. We will go to City Hall),” she added.

Cebu City Scholars (from left) Richelle Espanola, Veronica Caballero and Sarah Saladaga lament that their future has become uncertain.

Ma. Dulu Alao, another parent, was near tears as she related that her daughter, Lulubelle, was also jobless. Lulubelle graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from ACT last March.

“Imbis nga nalipay mi nga nigraduate among anak para naa miy katabang sa pamilya, wala gihapon kwenta kay pangayuan man ug TOR kung mang-apply (Instead of being  happy that our daughter graduated so that she can help support the family, it’s  no use . Her TOR is required to support her job application),” she said.

Mayor  Rama reiterated that Cebu City scholars who enroll in ACT this year do so  “at their own risk.”

“ACT said they’ll take care of them. If the court rules that the city should pay, we won’t avoid payment. But if there’s no ruling for the city to pay the school, then the school and the parents are taking their own risk,” the mayor yesterday told reporters in Cebuano.

He said the city government will play it safe.

“We will not take any risk because this is not our money. This is people’s money,” he added.

The mayor earlier advised the scholars and their parents to transfer to other accredited schools.

As of last semester, there were a total of 2,805 scholars enrolled in ACTIEF. Only about 1,500 remain. The rest graduated last March. An additional 119 incoming freshmen have also enrolled.

More than 100 parents and scholars gathered yesterday at the school’s gymnasium to express their desire to continue and finish their studies in the school.

Rochelle Espanola, an incoming third year student in ACTIEF, said she wants to pursue her BS Information Technology course in the school.

She was worried that if she transfers to another school, some subjects might not be credited and she may have to take summer classes.

Rama said the issue on conflict of interest involving Abellanosa, a former city councilor, was identified several years ago.

He handed reporters yesterday a copy of his August 2012 partial veto message on City Ordinance 2333, which established the Cebu City College Scholarship Program.

In his message, Rama pointed out that there is danger of conflict of interest since Abellanosa is the owner of one of the major institutions accredited by the program.

However, the veto message was overriden by the majority members of the city council which was presided by then vice mayor Joy Augustus Young. Former councilors Edgardo Labella and Jose DaluzIII abstained during the override.

For his part, Abellanosa said the mayor is committing an illegal act when he chose not to pay the school.

“Sadly, not for ACTIEF but more for the unfortunate city scholars and their parents, this now seems to be the theme: the mayor lying to them, the media and the public and even trying to commit illegalacts in ordering the non-payment of the school fees of the city scholars and their forced ejectment out of ACTIEF,” Abellanosa said in a statement.

“With his battery of lawyers in City Hall including himself, we can only wonder why until now all that Mike Rama can offer us is the lousy excuse that I have a pending case in the Visayas Ombudsman,” he added.