- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez is being asked to consider an expansion program for the Bacolod City College (BCC) to accommodate additional students from indigent families.
Councilor Israel Salanga, himself a BCC alumnus, authored the resolution after he noted that about 5,250 took the entrance examinations, “but sadly, the total carrying capacity of the College for first year enrollees is only 1,310 for all departments.”
Hence, there were about 4,000 applicants deprived of the opportunity to be admitted and enrolled at BCC, the councilor said in the resolution approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod during their 55th regular session.
“Increasing the number of applicants to be admitted and enrolled at the BCC will surely help uplift the life of poor but deserving Bacolodnons, who want to pursue degrees that they desire, and gain knowledge and skills at BCC to help themselves, their families, and the community,” Salanga stressed.
He said that under City Ordinance 175, series of 1997, which created the BCC and operated by the city government, one of the policies “is not to deny any enrollee-applicant…only for reasons sanctioned by law or ordinance.”
The BCC ordinance also provides that the College shall design an educational program which shall benefit poor but deserving students of Bacolod City, either by way of scholarship or other grants, Salanga, who is the chairperson of the SP Committee on Government Assets, added./CGC
