WHILE the City Government of Davao is still scouting a location for the City College of Davao (CCD), a city councilor is proposing to utilize an existing city property.
Councilor Bonifacio Militar proposed that the city government should utilize the property at the back of the Department of Education (DepEd) regional office along F. Torres St.
Militar said the one hectare idle lot has been donated by the Marfori family for more than 50 years, which was initially intended to be a parks and playground of the Davao City National High School (DCNHS). But remains unutilized until now.
The councilor opposed the passage of the ordinance creating CCD. It was certified by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as urgent, to cope with the deadlines set by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) in its opening in July this year.
“The problem with the ordinance is that they appropriated P100 million (for the construction of the school), but there is no availability of the certification of the fund,” he said.
He said the leasing in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) at Pelayo Street, a temporary area for the city college, is not ideal contrary to its goal in quality education.
“You are putting a city college and you are leasing a small property, how can you make a quality education if you are in that kind of area,” Militar said.
“Why look for other place when we (the city) has its own land,” Militar added.
The councilor, who was also a former law professor in a university, said the location and the budget should have been prepared before enacting the ordinance, since a lot of concerns were raised during its deliberation in the City Council.
Days after the ordinance was passed, the councilor personally sent a letter to the Mayor’s office regarding his proposal.
He said he did not open up his proposal to Councilor Pilar Braga, the ordinance proponent and focal person in the city college project.
Duterte-Carpio said in a previous report that a private family had pledged to donate their property for CCD. But she said no formal talks have yet transpired, and that Braga will be the one who will be communicating with the deed donor. Militar said he welcomes that development.
The ordinance creating CCD was enacted in January this year.
The City College will be offering six courses at the start of the new academic year: Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd), Bachelor of Technical-Vocational Teacher Education (BTVTEd), Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd), Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Arts in English, and Bachelor of Arts in Filipino.
The college will be prioritizing students from the marginal sector.