BIRTH OF MAASIN CITY COLLEGE

BIRTH OF MAASIN CITY COLLEGE



When I was City Vice Mayor in 2006, I authored “An Ordinance Creating the Maasin City College, Providing Funds Therefore.”  It was the dawn of the birth of a government college in Maasin.  For years, every disadvantaged family in Maasin dreamed of sending their child to college, but most of them failed because of the rising costs of tuition fees and other school fees.

Sogod has Southern Leyte State University and Baybay has Visayas State University.  Naval has Biliran State University, Catarman has University of Eastern Philippines, Borongan has Eastern Samar State University, and Catbalogan has Samar State College. Tacloban has Leyte Normal University and Eastern Visayas State University. 

Maasin was deprived of the opportunity to have a state-run college or university because of the presence of the Catholic-run Saint Joseph College (SJC) and the UCCP-run The College of Maasin (CM).

Then came the moratorium by Congress and CHED on the creation of new state colleges because it would mean additional funds in several millions of pesos which the national budget could not accommodate.  So the possibility of establishing a government college in Maasin became nil. 

So the local government had to take over in establishing Maasin City College, a public college classified under local colleges and universities (LCUs) by the Commission on Higher Education.

It faced so many challenges since its inception.  Saint Joseph College interposed objection with the thought of decreasing their enrolment with the very low MCC tuition fee of P75.00 per unit.  CM though made no attempt to avert the birth of MCC as long as it would not offer courses found in the existing colleges.

I personally handled the making of the documents needed by CHED to open up the school.  There were several documentary requirements necessary and I had to go back to the Regional Office several times to facilitate the processing of these papers.    

Our critics heavily condemned our plan of opening up MCC.  They said it is impossible to open the college because we have no competent teachers and deans.  The area is not an ideal site for a school.  They forgot that a government school is different from a private school and the government helps a government in establishing an educational institution for the disadvantaged youth.    

The second floor of the Maasin Commercial Complex was a white elephant.  It was constructed during the time of Mayor Arthur Bascug and since then it was not finished and abandoned.  Later only a part of it was utilized as Office of the City Prosecutor.  All the rest of the rooms were full of dust and dirt because they were vacant and unfinished.  Other rooms were converted to bodegas of thousands of documents and papers from the accounting and treasurer’s office. 

So when we had the establishment MCC approved by then CHED Regional Director Maria Rita Castillon Ortiz, we began renovating the vacant rooms and converted them into classrooms.

At the height of the local electoral campaign in 2007, Congressman Roger Mercado instructed me to just keep silent on the subject of opening a government school so as not to muddle the issues surrounding its creation which were hurled to us by opponents beforehand.  

Right after the elections, when everything was clear that we won, I was given the go signal by Congressman Mercado and Governor-elect Damian Mercado to start accepting enrollment.  I put together the streamers right away announcing the opening of the MCC with two courses, Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Crop Science. 

I also accomplished personally the scheduling of classes and giving of the teaching load to our instructors.  I had this experience when I was dean of the Engineering Department in SJC.      

Then Vice Mayor Effie Abiera Sabandal was designated as Dean of Public Administration and City Agriculturist Amado Acasio was designated as Dean of Agriculture.

I assumed the position as College President without receiving a single centavo in compensation.  I also handled one subject “Good Governance and Social Reposnsibilty” in the Public Administration Department again for free.  

On June 18, 2007, our classes began.  We had an initial enrolment of 380 students.  We were faced with the difficulty in the lack of classrooms, chairs, books, and other physical facilities.  We experienced birth pains and we were still adjusting to the many problems of opening a school.

We constructed more classrooms and administration offices and expanded our library and laboratory.  We established a clinic, canteen, demo kitchen, faculty room and conference room.    

There are so many scholars in MCC; most notable were the city scholars who were sons and daughters of barangay captains, kagawads, secretaries, treasurers, day care workers, health workers, nutrition scholars, and tanods.  Payment for tuition fees is free.

Other institutions who sponsored scholarships were Alay Lakad Foundation, Gawad Kalinga, An Waray Party List, Limasawa Development Foundation, Maasinhons sa Metro Manila, Maasin Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative, District Office of Congressman Mercado, and some private individuals.    

Maasin City College has an enrolment of 1,103 students distributed among the four courses Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in Social Work both with government recognitions and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Bachelor of Science in Tourism, both with CHED permits. 

On March 2011 we had the 1st Commencement Exercises with 124 graduates of BS Public Administration and 31 graduates of BS Agriculture.  The 2nd Commencement Exercises was held on November 2011 with no less than CHED Regional Director Libertad Garcia as Guest Speaker.  There were 41 graduates of BS Public Administration and 15 graduates of BS Agriculture and 26 in Associate in Agriculture.

The CHED issued government recognition for BS Public Administration and BS Social Work and permits for BS Agriculture and BS Tourism.        

The BS Agriculture course was assisted by the University of Eastern Philippines while the BS Tourism course is assisted by the University of the Visayas.  We also ofered a course in Master of Science in Public Administration at the MCC in coordination with the Graduate School of the University of the Visayas. 

An amount of P6 million was used to improve the facilities including classrooms and offices.  While last year an appropriation of about P9 million was used for the salaries of teachers and staff, equipments and office and school supplies.

The college registrar, two clerks, two deans, and some agriculture instructors became regular employees in 2011.  Additional public education and general education instructors, clerks, librarian, nurse and utility workers were appointed to permanent positions in 2015.

The MCC edifice was finished during the first semester of school year 2014-2015.  The completion of the third floor cost P12 million including 16 classrooms, some offices, the audio visual room, hotel rooms, dormitories and kitchen.  The Office of the College President was also finished at the ground floor.

The school housed the Senator Ruperto Kangleon Memorabilia which began in 2013.  The collections
Included his works and writings as a colonel in the guerrilla movement, secretary of national defense and senator of the republic.
Maasin City College Hymn

Maasin City College
Forever we will sing your praise
We give glory and honor to your name
All hail to you Alma Mater Dear.

You are the hope of the masses
Caring for the disadvantaged
We raise your banner to the skies
With pride and joy in our hearts.

Chorus:
Maasin City College
The inspiration to all generations
We will not forget your teachings
And the values that you still in our hearts.
(Repeat Chorus)

All hail to you, all hail to you
Maasin City College, our Alma Mater Dear.


Vision

Maasin City College is an educational institution that offers affordable but quality service-oriented education for the masses and will produce graduates who are self-reliant and dependable and provide economic upliftment for the constituents of the City of Maasin.

Mission

Maasin City College aims to produce quality graduates equipped with action-oriented knowledge and skills, that will cater to the manpower needs of the government and private sector educated by qualified and competent faculty members and supported by the resources and facilities of the City of Maasin.