One more school fails to renew contract with CH

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government has not renewed its scholarship accreditation agreement with Britech Interface College after the school failed to secure a permit from the Commission on Higher Education.

 The city government also withheld the P2.2 million payment for this semester unless the school is able to comply with the required permit.

Local School Board head Ester Cubero said Britech was granted a two-year extension permit in October 2012 when it acquired and resumed operations of Interface Computer College-Cebu. However, the permit will mature this month.

 The school previously operates along Pelaez Street in downtown Cebu City, but subsequently transferred operations to Angelica Building along Osmeña Boulevard in September 2010.

 Cubero said they may also recommend that the payment of P2.19 million tuition for over 200 scholars be postponed.

City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said they can stall payment depending on the issues or grounds.

 “In case dunay order to hold in abeyance the payment from the mayor or Ombudsman, we will definitely heed on the request,” she said.

 Cubero pointed out that the CHED permit is one of the “primary and vital” requirements needed in the disbursement of payment of the tuition fees.

 “Ma-suspend ang pagbayad if dili mo-comply kay ipa-hold ang payment. They have to get their own CHED permit to continue their operations and for the renewal of memorandum of agreement with the city,” she stressed.

 Cubero said they are not discounting the possibility of transferring the 219 affected scholars to other accredited schools depending on the opinion of the City Legal Office.

 According to Cubero, Engineer Nicolas Baguio Jr., the school president, said they are negotiating with other accredited schools of the city government for a consortium agreement.

 There are several accredited schools in the city, including TESDA, University of Cebu, Cebu Institute of Technology-University, University of the Visayas, Cebu Technological University, University of the Philippines and other state universities and colleges.

 Apart from Britech, the city also did not renew its contract with the Asian College of Technology after the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas found its owner, south district Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa, guilty of grave misconduct for conflict of interest.

 The case was filed by a certain Philip Banguiran in 2011 against Abellanosa being the owner and majority shareholder of ACT and at the same time city councilor at the time of the approval of the scholarship agreement in June 24, 2010.

 Moreover, Cuevas said the two vouchers for ACT amounting to P81 million were stalled pending the record of the school’s tax liabilities.

 The city owes P110, 782, 373 to ACT as tuition of 3,105 scholars.

Cuevas, though, assured that the amount will be disbursed before the year ends, while the remaining P30 million will be released January next year.  (FREEMAN)