Mandaue City College earns less than it has to spend Cebu Daily News
November 14, 2006
The Mandaue City College did not earn enough during the last semester for it to sustain its expenses because of loans or unpaid accounts of some of its poor students.
Compounding the problem, only the June to August salaries of the school’s teachers have so far been released.
During a press briefing with the officials and faculty members of the college on Monday, Paulus Cañete, the college president, said they were able to collect P2 million from the last semester.
However, their expenses have been bigger — P2.6 million for the salaries and wages of the faculty members and about P500,000 for the overall operations.
Cañete said the school has a collectible of about P1 million, consisting of promissory notes or unpaid accounts of some students.
He said the school is trying to fast track the collection of these unpaid accounts to be able to pay their teachers’ salaries in full.
BLAME
Edgar Agustino, dean of the education department, blamed the Mandaue City Council for not creating a trust fund for the city college to support its financial needs.
Mayor Thadeo Ouano earlier asked the city council to legislate the creation of a trust fund for the Mandaue City College so that it would have its own funds.
This would have answered the college’s problem on finances, Agustino said.
“We’re crying for help here,” he added.
For his part, Councilor Wenceslao Gakit said the ordinance creating a trust fund for the city college is not in the hands of the council but with the local finance committee.
Gakit said the council has sought the comment of the committee, which is under the executive department.
“We’re not obstructing it (the school’s operations). It is still with the local finance,” Gakit told reporters on Monday
The other faculty members who were present during the briefing also questioned the non-release of the P5 million initial funding intended for the college.
The amount was intended for the construction of the college building, which could not yet start because the property identified for it is still being contested.
Currently, Cañete said the city college is holding classes in three different locations.
Its students have increased from 713 enrollees during the first semester to 824 for the second term. /Reporter Kathy I. Navarro
