ILOILO City – “Blatant lies.” “Unfounded.” “False.” Iloilo City Community College (ICCC) administrator Ma. Mathilde Treñas Octavio dismissed the complaints of four teachers during yesterday’s Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) investigation. If anything, these were “clear attempt(s)” to malign her, she said.
Octavio, a cousin of Cong. Jerry Treñas, denied that the ICCC, launched in 2012 to serve poor but deserving students in Iloilo City, was being mismanaged.
The college’s books are open to public scrutiny, she said, including donations from benefactors.
The SP convened as a committee of the whole to investigate the complaints raised by four ICCC teachers. Among others, according to Anelyn Janaban, Maria Fe Alejandria, Rezlie Martinez, and Arthur Soqueña, the salaries of ICCC teachers were “not standardized” or lower compared to those of other local colleges and universities.
But according to Octavio, “financial adjustments related to the salaries” were “dependent on the Personal Services ceiling of the Iloilo City government.”
The Personal Services budget, as defined by the Department of Budget and Management’s Local Budget Circular No. 98 issued on Oct. 14, 2011, collectively refers to all budgetary items intended for the payment of salaries wages, step increments, and other compensation of permanent, temporary, contractual, and casual employees of the local government unit.
Under the Local Government Code of 1991 (Section 325), the total appropriations, whether annual or supplemental, for Personal Services of a local government unit for one fiscal year shall not exceed 45 percent in the case of first to third class provinces, cities and municipalities, and 55 percent in the case of fourth class or lower, of the total annual income from regular sources realized in the next preceding fiscal year.
But the Code also provides that the appropriations for salaries, wages, representation and transportation allowances of officials and employees of public utilities and economic enterprises owned, operated, and maintained by the local government unit concerned shall not be included in the annual budget or in the computation of the maximum amount for personal services. The appropriations for the personal services of such economic enterprises shall be charged to their respective budgets.
According to the teachers, the low salaries resulted to fast turnover of faculty members. In their letter to the city council, the four called for an inquiry on the ICCC’s operations and budget.
Octavio said college scholarship / financial assistance from ICCC benefactors were properly accounted even if some of them wished not to be publicly recognized because they wanted to remain low-key in their philanthropy.
“There are benefactors who wish to remain anonymous. We honor such request. We yearly give recognition but some do not attend because they wish to remain anonymous,” said Octavio.
On the alleged realignment of the P1-million supplemental budget to capital outlay and the ICCC library being used as a “front” so the budget could be easily approved and then realigned eventually, Octavio said “this was upon the advice of the City Budget Office and the Commission on Audit that this procurement of books be realigned from the MOOE (maintenance and other operating expenses) instruction materials to capital outlay books.”
Octavio also denied she was operating the ICCC canteen. The canteen was in fact a cooperative backed by an ICCC Board of Trustees resolution.
The cooperative’s book is open for scrutiny by anyone, said Octavio.
“This (allegation) is a clear attempt (t)o defam(e) and malign the person of the college administrator,” she stressed.
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATOR A NONEXISTENT POST?
Meanwhile, councillors Plaridel Nava and Joshua Alim questioned that appointment of Octavio as ICCC administrator.
Citing Regulation Ordinance No. 2011-275 (the ordinance that created the ICCC) and Regulation Ordinance 2014-001 that introduced amendments to it, Nava said there was no provision regarding a college administrator.
The specific positions that should be filled were for college president and college dean only, said Alim.
It was then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog who designated Octavio as ICCC college administrator.
“I went over the ordinance. I looked for the powers of the college administrator but could not find any,” said Alim.
He asked Octavio to provide the SP with a copy of her appointment issued by Mabilog.
“I am wondering what is the source of her authority as college administrator. Wala posisyon nga college administrator in the ICCC,” said Alim./PN
