MORE NEWS, BENGUET

46,000 Cordillera studes affected by tuition hike
By Dexter A See

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – At least 46,000 students enrolled in the different higher education institutions in the Cordillera will be affected by the 4.5 to 38 percent hike in tuition fee to be implemented by seven private schools in the different parts of the region.

This was bared by Dr. Freddie Bernal, regional director of the Commission on Higher Education in the Cordillera, who added the figure represents over 46 percent of the 98,000 college students who are expected to enroll in the 36 public and private tertiary schools spread in the different parts of the Cordillera.

While tuition fees collected in the seven state universities and colleges in the region remain at a minimal level, seven out of the 29 private higher education institutions have opted to increase their tuition fees due to a number of factors, particularly their desire to increase the salaries and wages of their personnel, improve their school facilities and hike their return of investment.

The schools which will increase their tuition fees this coming schoolyear include Saint Louis University (SLU) – 4.5 percent; Baguio College of Technology – 5 percent; University of Baguio (UB) – 7.5 percent; Baguio Central University (BCU) – 8.25 percent; University of the Cordillera (UC) – 10 percent, Divine Word College of Banged which is based in Bangued, Abra – 14 percent and Carlos MA College -38 percent.

Bernal revealed two other private tertiary schools were supposed to implemented their own tuition fee increase but they were not able to beat the deadline for the filing of their notice to increase tuition fee as well as the pre-requisites which includes a substantial consultation with the affected sectors of the institution.

Out of the amount to be generated from the tuition fee increase, 70 percent should be earmarked for the increase in the salaries of their personnel, 20 percent must be exhausted to improve the equipment and facilities of the school while 10 percent is set aside for the return of investment of the school owners.

Bernal warned private tertiary schools which were not authorized to increase their tuition fees that they will be forced to refund to their students over collection of fees once they receive complaints from students that they are charging them more than the approved rates.

Compared to the previous years, only a few number of schools have opted to increase their tuition fees while the others decided to maintain their old rates to allow students the option to transfer for the simple reason of lower fees.

While there would be an expected reduction of enrollees in the private schools due to exorbitant fees, state universities and colleges are preparing for the influx of enrollees from private schools which would perk up their enrollment for this coming schoolyear and will result in the overcrowding of classrooms that will have to be addressed by the State-run schools.


Typhoon damages P1.7M Beneco equipment; P2 M revenue loss bared
By Laarni Sibayan

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- More than P1.4 million of Benguet Electric Coop. poles, transformers and other equipments were destroyed by super typhoon Cosme last week that caused massive power outages in Baguio and Benguet.

Beneco operations and maintenance supervisor Zac Torres said 23 crews made up of two-men and eight contractors with nine personnel each worked 24-hours to restore power especially in Baguio where the typhoon hit the hardest, and where most of the damaged equipments were located.

Beneco also lost P2 million estimated revenue losses due to Cosme, according to corporate services department community relations officer Jason Wayet.

A total of 41 poles, seven transformers, and 102 fuse links had to be repaired or replaced by the maintenance crews during the onslaught of the typhoon, in an effort to restore power soonest.

The seven Beneco transformers that were damaged alone cost Beneco P829,500.00, while the 41 damaged poles cost P466,687.85, and the line materials (wires) that were replaced cost P91,608.54. These made up the bulk of the cost wrought by Typhoon Cosme.

OMD department manager Rocky Pallogan said about 75 percent of Beneco’s area of responsibility will have light May 23 and 100 this week.

“The damages exacerbated by landslides hampering the Beneco crew’s trucks from reaching far-flung barangays of Benguet to do their line patrol and restoration, makes it difficult to reach 100 percent restoration of power, but our linemen have been working non-stop,” Pallogan said.

In Baguio City proper, only individual residences that were isolated due to cut-lines, burned meters, and damaged transformers are the ones remaining without light. In Itogon, parts of Sablan, Dalicno and Sto. Tomas 50 percent remain without electricity.

Camp 4 down to Camp 1 restoration is also ongoing, while at the Sto. Tomas area after GreenValley, the heavy maintenance crews are replacing eight poles, according to Pallogan.

Beneco’s summary of expenses did not include the labor cost caused by Cosme.


Delay seen in Abatan-Cervantes road rehab
By March Fianza

MANKAYAN, Benguet -- Government engineers in charge of the P800 million rehabilitation of the Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes road anticipate a delay in the concreting of its pavement, in the event that the contractor is unable to avail of ample supply of the necessary aggregates.

Information sources said the China Harbour Engineering Co. that won the project may yet be entangled in a number of lawsuits for violating rules regarding the operations of a mechanical processing plant for sand and gravel.

This was confirmed by engineers who requested anonymity, saying the China contractors are busy setting up a crushing plant, but have yet to acquire a permit to operate the same.

Based on the rules under Republic Act 7942 or the new Mining Law of 1995, the operation of mechanized processing plants must be covered by an Industrial Sand and Gravel (ISAG) permit to be issued by the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB).

However, in the case of China Harbour , the engineers said it can no longer be able to avail of the said permit since a resident businessman has already acquired the ISAG for the Municipality of Cervantes , Ilocos Sur. RA 7942 further provides that “only one ISAG permit is issued for one municipality.”

The informants said a representative of China Harbour may be dragging the company unnecessarily into legal controversies detrimental to the road project.

The representative of China Harbour is only “interested in making fast money and does not have regard for the legal framework” within which to do business, they said.
But, officials from the MGB said the government agency is bent on enforcing rules against violators of RA 7942 and will not hesitate to stop illegal quarry operations and illegal operations of mechanized crushing plants, as no one is above the law.

Meanwhile, barangay and municipal officials in Abatan, Mankayan and Cervantes deemed to be affected in any delay are closely monitoring all issues relative to the project.

It was supposed to have started in October last year, and is expected to be completed in three years, but with an impending lawsuit against China Harbour, beneficiaries of the P800 million road rehabilitation project look forward to a longer wait.

The road improvement project of GMA was programmed to shorten travel time from the provinces in Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera to the Ilocos Region.