LUNA, Apayao – Concerned sectors in the province lashed out at the present administration of the state-run Apayao State College (ASC) for allegedly virtually abandoning a good number of projects that were left behind by the previous administration which is contrary to the desired raising the bar of performance.
Sources, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal by the current leadership of the institution, argued that instead of raising the bar of performance in the higher education institution, what is already evident is the rusting bars of major infrastructure projects that were left behind by the previous administration for the present dispensation to supposedly pursue and complete for the benefit of the growth and development of the ASC.
The sources cited as one of the examples the construction of the training center on food technology in Payanan which was allegedly abandoned for a year now and rendered not usable to date.
“The training center was intended for the agriculture and forestry students who should be using the completed first phase of the project for their practicum, trainings and for the bird center. The facility is supposedly functioning as training venue for the students working at the bigas balatong production plat, an intervention project for malnutrition and a project which was operational during the term of the previous school administration,” the source stressed.
The project was a convergence initiative of the Cordillera Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-CAR), the Apayao provincial government, the Luna Municipal Government, the Cordillera Office of the National Nutrition Council (NNC-CAR) and the ASC.
The source claimed that among the reasons for the eventual failure of the project were the fact that the present administration allegedly attends to activities which are not reportedly strategic aside from the fact that there is micro-management by the present officers.
For instance, the source disclosed that without informing the faculty, ASC president Nelia Cauilan allegedly met the students at the auditorium last December 10, 2018 after the regular flag raising ceremony and informed them that they should not buy uniforms outside the school and rather buy from ASC among other related pronouncements.
Earlier, she had been allegedly questioning the authority of a certain private businessman who is a supplier of school uniform for different schools in the locality, including ASC.
The source stated that the fact is that ASC has not been selling school uniforms during the previous administrations to allow students the liberty to purchase their uniforms from their desired suppliers.
The source urged concerned agencies to investigate why the uniforms of employees for the current year has not yet been given to them by the administration aside from the fact that there seems to be an alleged monopoly in the transactions for the procurement of the 2018 Cordillera Administrative Region Association of State Universities and Colleges (CARASUC) uniforms for ASC, Gender Equality and Development (GAD) T-shirts for employees SK T-Shirt and supplies among other related bases so that appropriate charges will be filed against those responsible for the alleged questionable transactions.
Herald Express could not reach the ASC administration for comment on the said issues raised by concerned sectors in the province. By HENT
