College to sue PSU, Braganza
THE president of a local private school in Alaminos City is set to file charges against the Pangasinan State University management and City Mayor Hernani Braganza.
Ruben Morante, president of the Philippine Accountancy and Science School (PASS College alleges that the PSU is operating without the required permit from the Commission on Higher Education.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Media in Action forum of the Pangasinan Press Club, Morante who said he will definitely file his complaint this month, said that aside from the alleged lack of permit, the government-owned institution has committed anomalies particularly in the remittance of its profit.
Morante disclosed that PSU has allegedly entered into an agreement with the city government for the latter’s 30 percent share in tuition fees.
“We do our business legally, at sumusunod po kami lagi sa mga patakaran ng CHED. Very transparent ang aming pagpapatakbo. Pero nuong pinasok ni Mayor Braganza ang pagpatayo ng PSU, jointly with Dr. (Victoriano) Estira, nalaman namin na hindi sila sumunod sa mga alituntunin ng batas, bago buksan ito” Morante said as he pointed to the unfair competition it is waging in the city against other private schools.
Dr. Victoriano Estira, PSU president, was invited to the same forum but declined saying he had a prior engagement.
Morante explained that the PSU has not been issued a clearance after failing to meet requirements on facilities and faculty members during an inspection conducted by a CHED monitoring team last year.
PSU-Alaminos was allegedly given until June 30 to complete all the requirements.
However, Morante wants the commission to make a decision immediately.
The campus has been operating for a year now and has published advertisements calling for enrollment.
“Malinaw po na may paglabag sa batas,” Morante said adding that the PSU campus’ operation gives undue competition to PASS College and other schools.
He said PSU Alaminos continues to defy CHED’s “time-honored policy of ‘No permit, no announcement of school opening, no admission of enrollment, and no classes.”
Estira reportedly said that the school will remove streamers and tarpaulins put up within western Pangasinan advertising the enrollment period, a move, according to Morante, is an admission on the part of PSU that it is violating CHED rules and regulations.
LETTER TO CHED
Meanwhile, in a letter to CHED chair Patricia Licuanan dated April 25, Morante also questioned the 30 units of computers being used by the university with the tag “LGU-City of Alaminos property.”
Morante also claims that his school has received “all sorts of harassments” including two bomb threats and a warning from the city administrator of Alaminos that he should “not meddle at all in the PSU Alaminos issue”.
Morante has been protesting the operation of PSU-Alaminos since it opened last year.
During the forum, Morante also asked, “What will happen to the students of PSU Alaminos if the school is finally declared illegal?”.
PSU Alaminos offers courses in Education, Computer, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Nursing, Commerce and TESDA (Technical Education Skills Development Authority) courses.—LM
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