Calling out the Panabo City Catholic Blue School
Let me share my personal experience. I’m staying anonymous because, based on experience, openly speaking about certain concerns in this school can feel uncomfortable, especially when it comes to how criticism is received or addressed.
This is not written to attack or bring the school down, but to honestly express what some students and alumni may feel but are hesitant to say out loud.
I’m already an alumna of this school, and honestly, all I can say is—it’s incredibly frustrating. The hypocrisy is on another level.
First, there are so many hidden fees. You think your tuition is already fully paid, but by the end of the school year, your clearance still can’t be signed because you suddenly have a remaining balance. On top of that, there are payments being collected almost every week for different events. And when you try to ask the cashier how much you actually need to pay, they get irritated—sometimes even scolding you over the microphone. It’s honestly embarrassing.
Second, some of the staff are just plain rude—especially the cashier and the guard. I can somehow understand the guard being strict since some students can be hard to manage. But the cashier, who’s literally working in an air-conditioned office, still gets annoyed when you ask a simple question. If that’s the attitude, maybe they shouldn’t be working there at all. The school complains about students being disrespectful, but some of their staff act the exact same way.
Third, let’s talk about these so-called “ghost projects.” You pay for so many things, but some of them you can’t even trace anymore. Others, you never even get to use. A good example is the computer lab. I don’t even remember how much we paid back in Grade 12, but we only got to use it once—and we weren’t even allowed to fully utilize it. Like, what was the point? Were we just paying to open our Quipper account for an hour? We paid for it, but didn’t benefit from it at all. Honestly, we would’ve been better off going to a computer shop.
And don’t even get me started on the yearbook. Some alumni batches have already graduated from college, yet they still haven’t received their Grade 10 and Grade 12 yearbooks. Like… seriously? They won’t even allow you to be short by a single peso or let you graduate if you have unpaid balances, but when it comes to what we paid for, it just disappears? It feels like everything just gets buried and forgotten.
Fourth, the schedules are exhausting and poorly handled. Imagine having a competition the next day, but instead of giving you time to practice, they still cram in regular classes. It really feels like they don’t value the effort students put into preparing. They expect so much, but don’t even give enough time for proper practice.
Fifth, there are also instances where a “half day” is announced, but dismissal still happens late in the afternoon. Some students come unprepared, expecting to go home earlier—especially if they’re not part of certain programs—but end up staying the whole day. When concerns are raised, the responses don’t always feel accommodating.
On top of that, students are not allowed to use their phones—even when they’re simply waiting for dismissal. Senior high students already juggle research, performance tasks, and deadlines, and that waiting time could have been used productively. Instead, it becomes hours of just waiting. Time that could’ve been used to rest, help at home, or work on requirements ends up being lost, which causes even more delays.
Overall, it’s just frustrating. These are real experiences that I hope can bring more awareness and, hopefully, improvement.