THE Cebu City Council has officially rejected a plan to include the Asian College of Technology International Education Foundation (Actief) Pit-os Campus in its scholarship program. The narrow 8–7 vote puts an end to months of debate and leaves hundreds of students from mountain barangays looking for other ways to pay for college.
The rejected proposal, authored by Councilor Alvin Arcilla, wanted to give students from northern mountain barangays up to P10,000 a semester for tuition and a P10,000 yearly travel allowance.
Because the Pit-os campus is closer to these mountain areas, supporters argued it would save students from the high costs and long hours of traveling to downtown universities.
The City Government would have handled the money, while the school was expected to take in the scholars and report on their grades.
However, the council's majority bloc opposed the deal because of serious legal and ethical red flags.
Councilor Mikel Rama, who led the review, pointed out a major conflict of interest: Actief is owned by the family of Councilor Jose Lorenzo Abellanosa. Under the law, the government cannot easily make deals with businesses connected to sitting officials.
The committee also noted missing paperwork. The school hadn’t proven it was fully accredited by the city's scholarship committee, and it was missing records showing its graduates passed board exams above the national average.
Past corruption issues also cast a shadow over the vote. Although a past criminal case involving the school was dismissed, the council felt it still needed to be careful with taxpayer money, noting that a dismissed case does not erase ethical concerns.
The council meeting was tense. Students from the Pit-os campus showed up to support the school, and some were seen crying after the council voted "no."
Councilor Rama called it "heartbreaking" and worried that the students were brought there just to pressure the council for political reasons. Councilor Arcilla fired back, defending the students and stating they were just there to fight for their education because they have limited school options.
Even though the Actief Pit-os campus was rejected, the city’s scholarship program is still running. In a separate move, the council unanimously approved 22 other partner schools.
Upland students who hoped to attend the Actief Pit-os campus will now have to choose from the 22 approved schools. While the council made its choice to protect ethical standards, the decision leaves many mountain-area students to face the tough challenge of traveling farther and paying more to get their degrees.