‘Amend city college law immediately’

School needs to be state college to qualify for free tuition

TALISAY City Mayor Eduardo Gullas urged his grandson, Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas (Cebu, 1st), to fasttrack the amendments of a law that will convert the city’s local college into a state college.

Gullas told reporters that if amendments of Republic Act 10594 will be approved, students of the Talisay City College will no longer be required to shell out money from the pockets since the national government is set to offer free tuition to state colleges and universities (SUCs) next year.

In an interview, Gullas said the inclusion of an additional P8.3 billion allocation for the Commission on Higher Education as free tuition for SUC students is an opportunity for the City to free TCC from paying for their studies.

But Gullas said that TCC won’t be able to secure the funds since the city-managed college has yet to be declared as a state college due to a provision in RA 10594 that he overlooked when he was still a congressman.

Even though former President Benigno Aquino III signed RA 10594 into law in 2013, the law cannot be implemented fully as it required TCC to secure a Level 3 accreditation from CHED to become a state college.

Level 3 accreditation can only apply if the institution is within university level.

If RA 10594 would have fully taken effect, TCC’s appropriations for its personnel services, maintenance and other operation expenditures (MOOE) and capital outlay would have been shouldered by the na- tional government.

Currently, TCC is still dependent on appropriations from the Talisay City government.

Gullas believes the law that will convert TCC into a state college can easily be amended as it only needs slight amendments.

After winning a second term as First District representative, the younger Gullas immediately filed House Bill 786, which amends RA 10594.

Currently, HB 786 has been referred to the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.