City gov’t to assist students staying in city condo

Scholars of Cebu City from mountain areas and scholars who are enrolled at Asian College of Technology and/or the Asian College of Technology can heave a sigh of relief as the Cebu City government will be extending assistance to them.

During the regular session yesterday, the City Council approved the resolution of Councilor Margarita Osmeña's charging P1.17 million against the city's share of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) funds which will be used to subsidize the board and lodging expenses of the 196 college students who were forced to vacate the Cebu City Hillyland dormitory.

The dormitory is due for demolition after being declared unsafe for occupancy.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau conducted a ground penetrating radar investigation in the Cebu City Hillyland Dormitory in March 2016 and discovered a sinkhole in the area. The MGB recommended that the building will be vacated since the building and the area is no longer safe for the occupants.

“In view of the MGB recommendations, the Office of the Mayor ordered the closure of the Cebu City Hillyland Dormitory on 15 June 2017, and Mr. Paz, instead recommended for the subsidy of the board and lodging expenses of the students,” reads a portion of the approved resolution.

The resolution also states that the city government will give P1,000 rental monthly subsidy to the scholars. The P1.17 million will cover the rental subsidy from July to December this year.

The former occupants of the city's dormitory are from various mountain barangays of the city.

Meanwhile, Mayor Tomas Osmeña has already signed the compromise agreement of the city and the ACT/ ACTIEF for the city to initially pay P56 million as settlement amount out of the P186 million that covers the tuition fees of the scholars.

The Regional Trial Court of Cebu City Branch 5 will resolve the joint motion of the city and the school to approve the compromise agreement by both parties today.

Osmeña said hoping that the court will approve the motion of both parties to put an end to the case.

The move will be beneficial to at least 2,600 city scholars who have not gotten their transcript of records because of the nonpayment of the city government.

“All TORs will finally be released to all students. They are victims of politics, plain and simple,” he said.

The payment of P56 million as settlement amount will pave the way for the release of the TORs of students who have graduated in previous years.

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, for her part, said the city government has previously allocated a budget for the payment but was not released.

She said the City Treasurer's Office has cash back up to support the payment of the tuition fees of the scholars in the previous years.

Demecillo/MBG