ACT accreditation bid still open for review

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival wants as many schools as possible to be accredited under the city’s scholarship program—including the Asian College of Technology (ACT) if it can comply with all requirements.

“Ang stand sa executive department is as many schools nga accredited mas mayo,” Archival said in a press conference yesterday. Currently, there are 24 accredited universities and colleges with the city government.

After the City Council majority rejected ACT’s Pit-os campus accreditation bid, Archival expressed that it’s not yet the end for ACT and that it should be revisited once documentation is complete.

“Ibalik nato sa ubos so that we will be accrediting not only ACT. Akong gi-encourage ang ubang mga universities nga magpa-accredit sa atong syudad sa Sugbo,” he added.

He emphasized that more accredited schools would mean more choices for students.

“Mas mayo man gud nga mas daghan ma-accredit, mas daghag kapilian ang atong mga estudyante,” he said.

Archival acknowledged the emotional toll on ACT students, particularly those from upland barangays who rely on the Pit-os campus because of its proximity.

“Daghan estudyante ang naguol… because kani man gung ACT, naa ni siyay school sa Pit-os. Pit-os is an area very near to the mountain barangays. So kadaghanan sa atong mga estudyante nga mountain barangays, instead of going to the city nga mahal kayo ang pliti, didto na lang na sila,” he explained.

He reassured students that the rejection was not the end of the matter.

“Of course, na-emotional ang ubang mga bata… but ang akong gitan-aw, it’s not the end of the world. Ang punto is, ibalik lang nato,” Archival said.

The mayor said he would be asking Councilor Alvin Arcilla to restart the process, saying the matter was “more of documentation” requirements and could be resolved without prolonged disputes.

“Kung naa man gani problema sa ACT, then we will be asking Councilor Arcilla nga ibalik lang… what is more important here is that the city government wants ACT and other schools ma-accredited sa atong syudad.”

Last week, the City Council voted to reject ACT-Pit-os’ accreditation for the scholarship program.

Councilors cited incomplete documentation along with lingering concerns tied to ACT’s ownership by former congressman Rodrigo Abellanosa. While past court rulings cleared Abellanosa of liability, questions about conflict of interest remain, especially since his son, Jose, is also serving as a councilor in Cebu City.

The rejection sparked emotional scenes, with some ACT students brought to the session seen crying, while others lamented what they described as emotional blackmail.

Arcilla, who sponsored the measure, maintained that ACT deserved equal treatment once requirements were properly met.

The city’s scholarship program, designed to expand access to higher education, requires strict compliance with documentation and transparency standards.

Archival stressed that the city government would support as many accredited schools as possible, provided they comply with requirements.

“If there are some documents that need to be released and produced, we will be asking them to produce that para dili lang nato daghanon ug lalis ba, in a way,” he said.  — (FREEMAN)