BACOLOD City Councilor Renecito Novero said on Monday, September 13, he is drafting the amendments to City Ordinance 175, or the “Ordinance Creating the Bacolod City College” to get accreditation from the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
Novero, chairperson of committee on education, said the amendment is part of the requirements to secure an accreditation so that the BCC can provide free tuition.
“The Ched required us to comply with all the requirements, including the amendatory city ordinance,” he said.
Novero, along with BCC Administrator Johanna Bayoneta, Executive Assistant Moises de la Cruz, and the Ched Region-6 Director, had earlier held a meeting to discuss the status and prospects of BCC in obtaining an accreditation.
Novero said the Ched requires them that BCC should have a college president with a tenure of six years. However, it will affect the security of tenure of Bayoneta because she is a Civil Service Commission employee.
“This is one of the considerations that we have to address. We will comply and also not jeopardize the security of our workers,” he said.
Representative Greg Gasataya had earlier said there's no need to amend the city ordinance governing the BCC to get accreditation from Ched.
Gasataya said the Ched already agreed to accept the BCC’s application with a justification.
“They should only justify why they have a college administrator and there's no need to amend the city ordinance,” the lawmaker said.
He added that the BCC should inform him on the status of their accreditation so that he can update Ched with the aim to avail free tuition for its students under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Act.
Novero said maybe it’s only the perception of Gasataya that there is no need to amend the city ordinance because he now serves in the national level.
“We are also working here in the local level and we are dealing daily with local concerns,” he said.
Novero added that the City Government is also facilitating the expansion of BCC building in Barangay Taculing for the improvement of the education structures.