VM Garcia revives moves for new Cebu City College

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has revived the ordinance that would back the construction of a building for the Cebu City College as the city government is still renting a structure for the school.

In an interview yesterday, Feb 16, 2024, Garcia said he has revisited the city ordinance that he authored way back in 2019 entitled; “An ordinance creating the new Cebu City College (CCC), otherwise known as the “Mayor Edgardo Labella Ordinance.”

According to Garcia, the late Mayor Labella tasked him in 2019 to make the necessary ordinance as part of his project for his administration.

Garcia, however, said that back then, there was already an existing ordinance of the same nature authored by Councilor Joy Young and Councilor Bebot Abellanosa.

When the deliberation began for the project, Garcia said the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) commented that the provisions cited in the ordinance were already outdated.

Garcia said CHED had instructed them to “repeal” the ordinance, which he did, but it was not approved due to the pandemic.

“So that is why I came up with the ordinance. Well wala to napasar kay dala sad to sa pandemic, then now ako siya’ng gi-revive. Karon it is even co-authored by the majority of the city council. So we are 18, siguro ang nipirma mga 12 naman tingali,” said Garcia.

Currently, the ordinance is still under deliberation before the Cebu City Council. According to Garcia, they are thoroughly laying down the provisions for the manpower of the whole CCC.

On the other hand, the construction of CCC is now ongoing in Ramos Public Market where vendors were relocated while some others voluntarily vacated.

Garcia stressed that the basis of the ongoing construction of the CCC was the ordinance of Young and Abellanosa that wasn’t amended nor repealed.

“So there is really a basis…it is still existing. It hasn’t been repealed yet. It wasn’t declared invalid by the court, so naa gyud tay Cebu City College,” Garcia stressed.

In line with this, Garcia said that the existing CCC is renting an area at the old Cebu Eastern College building for the College of Nursing, posing a dire need for a new structure.

“When in fact we can already build naman unta diba, we have a property and that is what we are doing right now,” said Garcia.

Citing differences between his ordinance and the ordinance authored by Young and Abellanosa, Garcia said his ordinance has more specific and updated provisions on the composition, employees, courses, budget and location.

On Garcia’s ordinance, it discloses that the CCC has no building of its own and other physical facilities solely devoted for the CCC degree programs.

With this new ordinance, it is deemed necessary to establish a new CCC with its own building which will offer various degree programs beyond that of Ordinance No. 2320 (ordinance authored by Young and Abellanosa) and are compliant with the institutional requirements provided by the CHED.

“Sa unang panahon (old ordinance), wa man gud na. Asa man ibutang ang CCC nga physical? Wala nila gibutang…daghan kaayo, so katong bag-ong ordinance nato, mas han-ay na ug ma detailed na siya in consonance and in coordination with the policies set by the CHED,” said Garcia.

Once Garcia’s measure is approved, he added, this will automatically be the basis of CCC, and will repeal the old ordinance. (CEBU NEWS)