CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Pampanga 3rd District congressman and House Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, Jr. has filed a bill seeking to convert the City College of San Fernando into a state college.
Gonzales filed House Bill No. 4079 on Aug. 24 to push for the conversion of the city college and its integration as a regular campus of the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU).
In his explanatory note, Gonzales said the measure will ensure a strong administrative supervision of DHVSU over the college and allocation of appropriate funds by the national government.
Established in 2008 through City Ordinance No. 2008-018, the City College of San Fernando currently offers five courses—BS Information Technology, BS Accounting Technology, Bachelor in Business Administration and; Bachelor in Elementary and Secondary Education.
As of 2021, the institution currently enrolls around 800 students. “But with the growing number of learners within the Province of Pampanga and due to the rising cost of living not seen in decades, there is an urgent need to expand institutions that will provide free quality education to the general public,” Gonzales said.
The measure, once approved into law, will allow easy access to benefits such as cash assistance to deserving students and free tuition to anyone enrolled in state universities and colleges regardless of social standing.
The college’s integration to DHVSU on the other hand, will guarantee appropriate budgetary support from the national government through its inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act. This will even save the local government some P100 million from the conversion of the college into a separate state college—a large amount of money the local government unit could instead use for other valuable programs.
“It should be noted that the ownership of the parcel of lands in which the City College of San Fernando is located shall remain with the local government of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. The possession of the property, meanwhile, shall be in the nature of usufruct,” Gonzales said.
