The day the Sangguniang Panlalawigan denied the bid of Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. to avail of a P10 million bank loan to build six more classrooms badly needed at the Negros Occidental Provincial High School was a very sad one for all of us, NOHS principal Mario Amaca said yesterday.

Amaca said the teachers, students and alumni who were expecting approval of the loan for the classrooms were very disappointed by the decision of the SP Wednesday.

Marañon yesterday reiterated that the denial by the SP, which he said was politically motivated, will delay the construction of the classrooms.

But Board Members Mae Javellana, Emilio Yulo III and Patrick Lacson, who are allied with Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr. who is running against Marañon for governor next year, denied that their disapproval of the loan was politically motivated.

Javellana said she did not abstain from voting, she voted against the loan because Board Member Pedro Zayco said the money for the classrooms could be sourced from the School Board fund of the province, citing a budget that was being prepared for the hosting of the Palarong Pambansa.

Negros Occidental lost its bid to host the Palarong Pambansa to Negros Oriental so those funds will be available, she noted.

Javellana said their group is not against the building of the classrooms, they are against obtaining a loan because of the interest the provincial government will have to pay for it, which can be saved if the money is taken from existing resources.

She assured that the classrooms will be built, and said that using provincial government funds will be faster than applying for a loan.

But the governor said the School Board no longer has funds for this year, they will have to wait for next year for funds to be available, thereby delaying the construction of the classrooms.

“I leave it to the conscience of those who voted against the loan for making the students of NOHS suffer because of politics,” Marañon said.

The NOHS principal said the six additional classrooms were to be replacements for those demolished to give way for the two storey school building the provincial government is building for NOHS.

Meanwhile, the displaced NOHS students are holding their English classes in shed houses where they have to contend with noise, get wet when it rains and breathe in dusts when it is hot, causing some of them to get sick, Amaca said.

He said he is appealing to the board members who voted against the loan and the vice governor to visit NOHS to see the urgency of their need.

Amaca said that while some officials are saying that NOHS is in Bacolod City whose residents do not vote for provincial candidates, the students at their school are still Negrenses and Filipinos who are in need of help.

In education, there are no boundaries, he said.

He also pointed out that NOHS is under the Negros Occidental Division of Schools and not Bacolod City.

While Amaca admitted that about 90 percent of the 5,572 students of NOHS are from Bacolod, he pointed out that 10 percent are from other parts of the province, many of whom work as domestic helpers in the city. NOHS is also a training ground for future principals and supervisors of schools throughout Negros Occidental, he added.

Amaca thanked the board members who voted in favor of the P10 million loan and appealed to those who voted against it to open their hearts and see the reality at the NOHS.

Board Member Melvin Ibañez, who voted for the loan, said the additional classrooms for NOHS are very important.

Sometimes it is necessary to borrow money to implement good and feasible projects for the people, foremost of them in healthcare and education, he said.

These are projects that will have social impacts on the lives of many and on future generations, he said.

Board Member Lacson said he did not vote against the loan because he did not want new classrooms at NOHS.

He simply did not see why a loan needs to be made to build them, the funds for the classrooms can be availed of from other sources, he said.

“And it's not politics. Anyone is entitled to his or her own judgment and opinion. As a legislator, I and our colleagues are likewise entitled to ours, it is our obligation and responsibility to function as real checks and balance in the provincial council,” Lacson said.

Board Member Yulo, vice chairman of the SP Committee on Finance and Appropriations, said he does not know why they are being accused of politicking, when in fact the SP approved the governor’s request for the realignment of P3.8 million for various priority projects.

“What was disapproved is the authority to negotiate for another loan, and not the project”, Yulo said.*CPG

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