MCC issue raised to Congress

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Board has raised to Congress the issue surrounding the Mandaue City College.

The PB yesterday passed a resolution requesting the Committee on Education of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to intercede and mediate if not resolve the current impasse of the institution.

PB Member Thadeo Ouano who sponsored the resolution said there is no politics in his move, the college was created during his time as mayor of Mandaue City.

Ouano said he is just interested in protecting the rights and welfare of the students and their struggling parents.

Ouano said that the swift action by the Houses of Congress is a last resort to stay the damaging issuance of the Professional Regulations Commission whom he said has been acting insensitively to the plight of the poor parents as well as their children who are left with nothing but false hope and desperation through no fault of theirs.

The Board will also invite in next session lawyer Dan Malayang of the PRC in Cebu; Director Amelia Biglete of the Commission on Higher Education, college president Paulus Mariae Cañete and Mayor Jonas Cortes to shed light on the issues affecting the said learning institution.

“The acts of the said agencies may have been subjected to some negative public judgments and misinterpretations and may end up with a regrettable result,” Ouano said.

The school under Cañete is facing another closure for failure to pay business taxes and its education graduates will not be allowed by the PRC to take the licensure exams next month.

Moreover, the PRC said that not only will MCC’s graduates not be allowed to take the licensure examination next month, the licenses of those who passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers in the past will not be renewed as it will be subject for clarification with their PRC head office in Manila.

From 2007 to this year, MCC graduates were able to take the LET and all those who took the exams passed.

If the city government will order the school closed for failure to secure permits, it will be the second time that MCC-Tipolo will be meted such an order.

CHED also ordered it closed last December 2010 for illegally operating its education program, which Cañete ignored.

Cañete said that if there is an existing law which states that his school has been operating illegally, he challenged that a tax evasion case be filed against him.   - (THE FREEMAN)