BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia asked Councilor Renecito Novero to create a committee that will study the conversion of the area along the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) in Barangay Taculing into a school facility extension.
Novero, chairperson of committee on education, said on Tuesday, August 15, the mayor tasked him last week to facilitate the building expansion of the Bacolod City College (BCC).
“The improvement of the education structures will be compliant with the requirements to get accreditation from the Commission on Higher Education (Ched),” he said.
He added that the CEO site is adjacent to the location of the BCC and Bacolod City National High School, and the City Government could construct three to four story building in the area.
Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya earlier said the Ched informed him that they are willing to assist the BCC to be accredited so that its students can avail of free tuition under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
“BCC should comply with all the requirements as soon as possible because several colleges in the country are also applying for accreditation from Ched,” Gasataya said.
Novero said he will form the committee anytime this week, and they will hold a meeting to amend the City Ordinance 175, otherwise known as an “ordinance creating the BCC.”
“We will amend it, recreating the BCC according to the standard set forth by the Ched so that we can be accredited and provide free tuition,” he said.
He added that “laws and ordinances have to march along with the cadence of modernization and new demands for social benefits, including educational benefits.”
Novero said that since it’s a requirement in the new law, the existing ordinance shall be accordingly amended.
“We are moving forward to comply with all the requirements and Ched is also willing to work with us. This is not the problem of BCC alone, this is the problem of every local government college in the entire country,” he added.
He said the Ched also requires that BCC should have a college president with tenure of six years.
However, it will affect the security of tenure of BCC administrator Johanna Bayoneta because she is a Civil Service Commission employee, he noted.
“This is one of the considerations that we have to address, we will comply and also not jeopardize the security of tenure of our workers,” Novero added.
