Monday, December 20, 2010

Notes/updates on the 1265th BOR meeting (December 17 at UP Diliman) by the Office of the Student Regent

By University of the Philippines Student Regent Jacque Eroles

Hereunder are the salient issues discussed and its corresponding actions by the Board of Regents on its 1265th meeting last December 17 in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. (Full report was sent to Student Councils through the yahoogroups)

Proposed Love Nature! Park in the UPV Miag-ao Campus

On 26 November 2010, during the 1263rd Board of Regents Meeting, the UPV Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Projects and Development (OVCPD) submitted a proposal for the approval of the construction of Love Nature! Park across an area of approximately 19.6 hectares of the UPV Miag-ao Campus.

The BOR deferred its action on this particular proposal upon the request of the Student Regent since no consultation with the students regarding this matter has been made. While UPV claimed that there was a consultation conducted on 12 October 2010, the Board approved the request of the SR for deferment since the position of the Student Councils has not been solicited.

On 2 December 2010, the UPV OVCPD conducted a sectoral consultation to discuss the matter and submitted to the BOR a report claiming that they have received a ‘positive’ response from the audience as regards the proposed project.

Meanwhile, the OSR conducted a consultation among the students through their mandated representatives, i.e. Student Councils, last December 13, 2010 in UPV Miag-ao Campus. In the said consultation, the proposal for theLove Nature! Park project was primarily discussed among other student concerns. The Student Regent submitted the position of the OSR as regards to the matter (see attached “OSR Position on the Love Nature! Park”).

Upon deliberation of the various concerns of the OSR, the BOR on its December 17 meeting decided to defer its action on the proposal and direct the UPV Chancellor to address the concerns of the students enumerated in the OSR position.

Report of the Student Regent


(’17 December OSR Report')

Report of the Staff Regent


The Staff Regent’s term will expire on May 2011 thus he submitted the schedule of the Staff Regent Selection Process (see attached Schedule for the Staff Regent Selection Process)

Report of the Faculty Regent

Since it was Faculty Regent’s Judy Taguiwalo’s last BOR meeting, as her term will expire on January 2011, she submitted an end of term report to the BOR (see attached ‘FR end of term report’). Prof. Ida Dalmacio of UPLB, the next FR, will take her oath of office during the January 27, 2011 BOR meeting.

Appointment of University Officials

UP Mindanao College of Science and Mathematics Dean:

PROF. REYNALDO ABAD

UP Mindanao College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean:

PROF. ARACELI DANS-LEE

(However, the Board will be instructing the UP Mindanao Chancellor to address the concerns raised by a faculty member against her appointment.)

Graduation of Students Approved by the Board

The Board approved the graduation of students recommended by their respective University Councils. Campuses that submitted the list of candidates for graduation for AY 2010-2011 and have been duly approved by the BOR are: UP Manila, UP Baguio, UP Open University, UP Mindanao.

Resolution to award AyalaLand Inc. the lease of current UPIS K-10 Site

The BOR in its 1258th meeting held on 29 July 2010 approved the terms of reference on the prequalification and bidding for the development of UP East Campus Property located at Katipunan/C-5 Avenue (area including current UPIS 7-10 site).

The UP President created a Special Bids and Awards Committee to administer the invitation and screening of companies interested in leasing the said property.

Initially, there were 5 interested proponents, these are: Ayala Land Incorporated, SM Land Incorporated, Robinsons Land Incorporated, Primestate Ventures Incorporated, and Fil Estate Corporation.

On December 3, the results of technical and financial evaluation of these companies were presented; both evaluations gave a higher rating to Ayala Land Incorporated given that their proposal is allegedly ‘more advantageous to the University’. The offer includes:

One-time Fixed Upfront Rent of P400 million upon contract signing

Percentage Rent of 17% of Gross Rental Income

Minimum Guaranteed Rent of P215.65 per square meter

P180 million for the relocation and construction of UPIS building

P40 million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of UPIS facilities such as K-2 and 3-6 buildings

The Board members were only given a copy of the Business Plan and Financial Proposal of Ayala Land during the meeting, which led to the request that the members be given ample time to study the proposal first.

Aside from this, some members wanted to see the comparison of proposals submitted by other proponents so as to ensure that the project is truly ‘advantageous to the University’ as alleged.

Thus, the action of the board on the matter was deferred.

Request to purchase a school vehicle for UPM-SHS in Baler, Aurora

UP Manila-SHS in Baler, Aurora requested for authority to purchase vehicle to facilitate both academic and administrative functions of the School. The vehicle will be used primarily for the weekly supervision of the students by the faculty in communities where there is no regular public transportation. It shall also be used for transport of school supplies and equipment, and other official functions.

The Board approved the said request.

On the resignation of Dean Marvic Leonen

On December 6, UP College of Law Dean Leonen received a letter from Philippine Social Justice Foundation Inc. calling his and the Board’s attention to a 2004 article and pointed out that original sources were used without attribution.

Dean Leonen admitted that he mistakenly failed to acknowledge his sources as he should have. However, the author of the original source, Dr. Owen Lynch, refused to consider that Dean Leonen committed an act of intellectual dishonesty as the material was a result of collaboration between the two.

As a result, Dean Leonen decided to submitted himself for appropriate action of the UPD Chancellor and at the same time offered his resignation as Dean “to honor these principles (of integrity and excellence) and uphold the reputation of the College of Law and the University”.

Meanwhile, several members of the UP Law Community, including the LSG and Law Faculty members, submitted position papers urging the Board to refuse Dean Leonen’s resignation. There were also those who expressed their opinion that the Board should accept it.

After long deliberation in an Executive Session, the BOR decided to defer its action until its next meeting in January

(Source: http://www.facebook.com/notes/office-of-the-student-regent-university-of-the-philippines/notesupdates-on-the-1265th-bor-meeting-december-17-at-up-diliman/174751069226521)

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