Rep. Abellanosa builds college in city uplands

AMID CONTROVERSY WITH ANOTHER SCHOOL

Amid the school scholarship issue he is facing, Cebu City south district Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa helped established a college school extension in the mountain barangay of the city.

Abellanosa, together with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), established the Cebu Technological University-Mountain Extension temporarily using the sports complex of mountain barangays of Babag and Bonbon.

“Dreams come true. Now the dreams of our high school graduates in the mountain barangays, whose parents cannot afford the cost of college education in the urban city, will finally come true,” read the post of Abellanosa in his official Facebook account yesterday.

In a phone interview, Abellanosa said the establishment of college in the mountain area has been one of his thrusts since he sat as Cebu City’s south district representative.

He claimed that the move is not to wipe out the controversy he is currently facing. Abellanosa “formerly” owns the Asian College of Technology and/or Asian ACT International Educational Foundation, which is the center of controversy recently.

This is because the city is hesitant to pay P135 million representing the tuition of its scholars to ACT after the Office of the Ombudsman found Abellanosa guilty of grave misconduct for conflict of interest in the city government’s scholarship program last year.

“Ato ning gibuhat regardless of what is happening karon. Kahibaw na man ta sa controversy, but we will always continue this. Ang akoa man gud is dapat gyud i-prioritize ang scholarship,” Abellanosa told The FREEMAN.

Abellanosa said he has secured a P6 million budget from the Department of Budget and Management for the new school’s operation starting this semester.

He added he has P25.5 million from the Department of Public Works and Highways for the school’s buildings and facilities and is negotiating to get an additional P40 million from PAGCOR for infrastructure and other facilities for the school.

“Most importantly, I have arranged with CHED for the scholarships of the students who will enroll. Naa man scholarship program ang CHED nga Tulong Dunong Program nga pwede sa atong mga residents didto sa mountain areas,” he said.

One of the qualifications for the scholarship is the economic income of the applicant, he added.

Abellanosa said scholars of the city government can also enroll in the said mountain school since CTU is one of the accredited schools under the scholarship program of the city.

At least 200 to 300 students are expected to enroll at the school, which offers three degree programs including Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

“I have envisioned man gud to help our high school graduates sa mountain barangays nga maduol sa school kay daghan nga dili maka-afford og skwela sa urban tungod sa plete ug abangan,” Abellanosa said.

Enrollment starts today at Barangay Babag Hall. Classes will start on June 15.

Qualified students from nearby barangays Sibugay, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Buot, Tagbao, and Tabunan, among others, can also enroll.