Parents Cry Foul Over Tuition Increase in TCC

Some parents with children who are enrolled at the Talisay City College (TCC) have cried foul over the sudden increase of the school’s entrance fee from last semester’s P300 to the current P550.

“Wa na gani na sila’y klaro ron, patas-an na hinuon ang entrance. Unsaon kaha na nila’ng kwarta,” said a mother who refused to be named. She has one student at the said city-run school.

The mother, a laundry woman, said she was surprised upon learning that the school has hiked up the usual entrance fee to P550, saying they were not prepared for it.She said her husband is a carpenter who earns P250 a day.

Another mother, who has one student there, also echoed her sentiment, adding that for someone who relies on a P50-daily income from being a helper at a carenderia, this additional fee is a burden to her.

Accordingly, the school had just announced the said hike last week, to which the parents alleged was implemented without consultation.

There are more than 2,000 students of TCC, most of whom, if not all, are from the marginalized sector.

The said school was established in 2004 by former first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas with an aim to give affordable college education to the city’s fresh high school graduates.

When the school opened, the usual price for one unit per semester ranged from P80 – P100, and the entrance fee was only P300.

For his part, Talisay City Mayor Johnny V. de los Reyes said as of yesterday afternoon, he had no idea that the school is implementing an increase in entrance fee and that he doubted if the TCC board of trustees had approved of this.

De los Reyes heads the BOT, the body which is allowed under the bylaws of the said school to make rules and impose fees and make changes pertaining to the operations of the city college.

“Wa ko kahibaw ani. Kung tinuod man gani ni, maayo unta pahibaw-on ang mga tawo before mag-increase,” said the mayor, who is also the acting TCC president while the position is still vacant.

De los Reyes said he will talk to Dr. Edgar Martinez, the TCC officer-in-charge, to ask for an explanation.

“Tawagan pa nako si Dr. Martinez kung unsa ni katinuod. Di unta dere-drecho kung magpasaka og bayranan, pahibaw-on gyud unta ang mga ginikanan kung mosugot ba sila kay og ako’y pangutan-on, di ko mosugot,” de los Reyes added.

The mayor said he will call for a meeting today (Thursday), and may meet with the school board to talk about this matter.

De los Reyes reminded the school administration that the city is still subsidizing a huge portion of its annual expenses, which is more than P10 million.