Braganza to sue PASS prexy
ALAMINOS Mayor Hernani Braganza is filing a libel suit against Ruben Morante, president of Pangasinan Accountancy and Science School (PASS) College, for the latter’s public statements accusing him and the management of Pangasinan State University (PSU) of corrupt practices.
“We will definitely sue him,” Braganza said during last week’s Meet the Press Forum of the Pangasinan Tri-Media Association (PATRIMA).
Morante, in another media forum the previous week, said the local government of Alaminos headed by Braganza and PSU officials have conspired in the illegal procurement of some school facilities and that PSU is operating illegally after failing to meet some requirements set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Braganza defended the agreement entered into by the city of Alaminos and the PSU which committed the city to “provide the infrastructure requirements” while the government-owned PSU will “provide quality and relevant education to the children of Alaminos”.
“Yon po ang aming ginawa. And, in return for that partnership, 30 percent ng income ng PSU will go to Alaminos para mabawi ‘yong aming investment. Nowhere can you find an agreement tulad ng ginawa namin,” the mayor said. “ Ours is a model that must be replicated in the entire country,” he added.
Braganza disclosed that Morante actually offered “to be a part of the bilateral agreement between the government and the PSU to partake in the P10 million scholarship program grant.”
“But after his offer was turned down, Morante brought the issue to the media”, explained Braganza.
The mayor also pointed out that the construction of the school building and the procurement of computers were done according the provisions of the Local Government Code.
On the CHED requirements, the mayor these are being addressed and that the issue “involves only PSU and CHED.”
SERVING THE POOR
Braganza said the partnership between Alaminos and PSU was intended to serve the city’s high school graduates who could not afford to pay the steep fees in private colleges.
“While Mr. Morante is very much concerned about the interest of his family, my concern is the interest of the youth and the general interest of more than 80,000 Alamenians who need to survive and meet the challenges of today,” the mayor said.
The mayor acknowledged that the opening of PSU’s campus in Alaminos affected private schools like PASS, including the Plebeian College, a private school owned by his family. (PIA-Pangasinan)
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