Wednesday, October 08, 2008 Creation of City College to go through the process By Lydia C. Pendon
MAYOR Jerry P. Treñas supports the idea of a public City College owned and operated by the City Government and thinks it is a very noble undertaking.
However, the city chief executive said the creation of a City College must undergo a legal process and proponents must look into its sustainability and viability, including creation of new city positions and the rules of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
The City Council is set to include in its agenda a proposal filed by Councilor Jeffrey Ganzon for its session on Wednesday.
Ganzon is pushing for a free city college in Iloilo City to be funded by the City Government, saying that other smaller cities have its own city college for educating children of poor families.
Treñas admitted he had received a feasibility study submitted by the proponents last week at his office. He said, however, that there are several constraints on the implementation of the project.
The city mayor said he had forwarded the feasibility study for evaluation and further study by the finance committee he organized recently, adding that the committee will have to come up with a report before the end of this month.
Earlier, City Treasurer Katherine Tingzon said the City Government could not afford to fund a city college from its 2008 budget nor from its 2009 budget.
Admitting that she also supports a free city college in Iloilo, Tingzon said the city is only realistic in its financial position and capability.
Regarding the Special Education Fund (SEF), which the proponents claimed to have P59 million in a trust fund, Treñas said the SEF is mandated in the local government code to be used only for augmenting the Department of Education (DepEd) budget on elementary and high school education.
The SEF is not a discretionary fund of the city mayor and cannot absolutely be used for funding a city college, Treñas said.
