GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The municipal government of Alabel in Sarangani province is planning to establish a community college to make tertiary education more accessible to its residents, especially the poor.
Alabel Mayor Vic Paul Salarda said Friday studies are underway for the establishment of the proposed local government-funded and operated college that will be the second in the province.
Salarda said they have created a technical working group (TWG) composed of local government officials and concerned stakeholders to spearhead efforts for its development.
The TWG is tasked with preparing the required documents and proposed programs and presenting them later on to the Sangguniang Bayan or municipal council for adoption, he added.
He said the TWG, which he supervises, would coordinate with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for accreditation and recognition.
On Thursday, Salarda convened the TWG to start the initial process for the establishment of the “local tertiary institution” of the municipality, which is the capital of Sarangani.
“We will conduct benchmarking activities in municipalities that have established and currently operating their own colleges,” he said in a statement.
This includes the Makilala Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Makilala town, North Cotabato, which was opened by its local government in 2014.
The CHED-accredited college, which offers entrepreneurship and agricultural technology courses, is one of the two tertiary institutions in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) covered by the 2018 free tuition law.
The other is the Glan Institute of Technology, which is operated by the municipal government of Glan in Sarangani.
Salarda, who presented the initiative to the Local School Board early this month, said local government units are allowed to establish post-secondary institutions, as provided for in Sections 447, 458, and 468 of the Local Government Code of 1991.
He said its realization would provide better opportunities and a brighter future for their constituents, and at the same time help accelerate the development of the area.
It will benefit residents of Poblacion, as well as Indigenous Peoples communities in such remote barangays as Datal Anggas, Pag-asa, Paraiso, and Domolok, he added. (PNA)
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