By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA
A private college in Bacolod City’s Barangay 5 is facing complaints from several parents after their children were allegedly barred from participating in a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, June 24.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said the parents of at least 98 senior high school students sought assistance from the city government.
Gasataya noted that, based on the assessment of Bacolod Schools Division Superintendent officer-in-charge Dennis Develos, a notice of violation has been issued against the college.
During a meeting with the City Legal Office, the Department of Education (DepEd) also requested the college to allow the students to join the commencement march, but the request was not granted.
Gasataya said, under DepEd guidelines, students should still be allowed to take part in graduation rites even if they have unpaid fees.
The mayor emphasized that issues involving payments or fees should not be used as grounds to exclude students from graduation activities.
Meanwhile, a separate notice of violation was served against the college after the Bacolod Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) found the institution had been operating without a business permit.
Gasataya revealed that the school failed to renew its permit in 2021 and 2022.
BPLO said the college renewed its permit from 2023 to 2025, but it remained pending due to failure to secure clearances from the City Health Office and the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office.
“If they fail to comply with the requirements for their business permit, we will issue a closure order, just as we have done with other business establishments that failed to comply,” Gasataya said.
Meanwhile, the college administration could not be reached for comment as of this writing.
‘Cannot ignore this’
“Those responsible will be held accountable.”
This was stressed by House deputy speaker and Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez yesterday, after learning that some students of a private college in the city were reportedly not allowed to attend their graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
In a statement, Benitez said that some students were barred from attending graduation due to issues involving payments they had made directly to the principal, which were allegedly not properly remitted to the school.
“I will look into this immediately. The school cannot simply ignore this,” he said.
He added that the situation is unacceptable and warned the school that appropriate action would be taken.
Meanwhile, to ensure accountability and strengthen protection for students and school personnel, Benitez said he would file a resolution seeking an investigation into the possible accountability of schools.
“Our goal is to identify gaps in existing laws, strengthen safeguards for students and their families, and ensure that educational institutions uphold the highest standards of safety, integrity and responsibility,” he said.
He added that it is time to review whether existing laws adequately define and enforce the accountability of educational institutions./MAP, WDJ