FALSE hope.
UST College Assurance Plan (CAP) beneficiaries will have to bear with more payment hassles this semester when the University refused check payments from CAP after P3.4 million worth of its checks given to the students from Oct. 21 to 25 bounced. CAP scholars will now have to encash their checks after they receive it from CAP.
“Nakakainis kasi isang araw naming pinila ‘yung mga cheke sa CAP, tapos biglang tumalbog pala,” said Communication Arts freshman Ronald James Ranieses.
University cashier Asst. Prof. Leticia Timbol announced UST will no longer accept CAP checks last Oct. 26 during enrolment after four banks returned the checks to the University earlier that day due to insufficient funds.
“We are not accepting (CAP’s) checks indefinitely,” she said.
According to assistant treasurer Atty. Leonardo Syjuco, CAP has been issuing individual checks to its UST scholars due to its unrenewed contract with the University this school year.
Nevertheless, Syjuco said the Treasurer’s Office would not penalize the CAP scholars whose checks bounced, with a P1,500 fine—the University policy for bouncing checks.
“Hindi (naman) kasi kasalanan ng mga estudyante ‘yun,” Syjuco said.
He added that the Treasurer’s Office allowed a P5,000 down payment for the students who mainly rely on their CAP scholarships.
In addition, Timbol assured the some 100 CAP scholars who have enrolled before Oct. 26 that their enrollment status would not be affected as long as they settle their accounts as soon as possible.
She said the Cashier’s Office is already contacting the concerned students.
Timbol added that it would be “unwise” for the University to renew the contract with CAP at the moment.
Other CAP scholars may be thinking of canceling their scholarships, but Nursing junior Amiel Jason Dalisay is still hesitant to do so.
“Sayang naman kung ika-cancel ko, ako din kasi mahihirapan kaya tiis nalang sa system nila,” he said
As of press time, CAP has not still clarified the reasons behind the bouncing checks and payment hassles. John Rheeno T. Cabangcalan
