Faculty Regent's Updates on the November 26, 2010 BOR Meeting of the U.P. Board of Regents

Updates on the November 26, 2010 BOR meeting

Judy M. Taguiwalo

Faculty Regent

November 29, 2010

I am sharing these updates on the November 26 BOR meeting held in UP Cebu . The updates cover the substantial decisions and/or discussions which your Faculty Regent considers significant and are based on the notes I made during the meeting. The official minutes of previous Board of Regents meetings may be accessed at http://www.officeofthesecretary.webs.com/gazette.htm

1. Present at the meeting were President Roman, Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Former Business Administration Dean Magdaleno Albarracin, Alumni Regent Gladys Tiongco, Staff Regent Buboy Cabrera and myself. Prior to the start of the meeting, the new Student Regent, Jaqueline Eroles was sworn in by President Roman. She will serve until April 2011. President Roman chaired the early part of the meeting as the flight of CHED and BOR Chair Patricia Licuanan was delayed.

2. Important decisions on financial matters include the approval of the Christmas grocery allowance which is part of the CNA of the University and of the All UP Workers Union and the CNA between UP and the All UP Academic Employees Union.

Approval of reprogramming of UP Open University’s unexpended obligations of P4, 133,629.39     for MOOE, Faculty and Staff Development needs and for Capital outlay.

Approval of UP Manila ’s purchase of one unit of autoclave machine costing P6, 000,000.

Approval of request of UP Diliman for exemption from the restrictions on the suspension of purchase of motor vehicles to purchase one eight-seater motor vehicle for the use of the Office of the Chancellor. The amount will be sourced from the reprogrammed funds of Diliman approved by the BOR last May 27, 2010.

3. Discussions on matters arising from the previous meeting of the BOR included the Proposal to Lease Land of UPLB for a Commercial Solar Power Plant : An unsolicited bid from Sunconnex to lease land in UPLB for a commercial solar power plant was discussed in the BOR meeting last October 28. While the majority of the BOR gave the go-signal to explore the development of a commercial power plant in LB and to accept proposals from various parties, the proposal of Sunconnex was not approved. There was limited information on the company and the proposal did not include the specific area to be leased in UPLB. In the November meeting, the UP Administration, through the VP for Planning and Development again presented the proposal by Sunconnex as the sole company who submitted a proposal. The Board did not approve the proposal as the information presented was limited (it is not registered in the Philippines , no verified information on its capital, there were no other information outside of those given by the company). The Board then asked that the University announce to the public that UPLB lands may be open for lease to commercial solar power plants and present to the Board the specific area in UPLB that may be leased.

Implementation of BOR decision granting the appeal for tenure of Sarah Raymundo. The May 27, 2010 decision has not been implemented. Prof. Raymundo remains without a teaching position. The Chair again requested the President to secure an item for Prof. Raymundo.

Professor Emeritus nomination for former UPLB Chancellor Wilfredo David. The VP for Academic Affairs again reported that the UPLB Chancellor Velasco reiterated that the CU did not nominate ANY retired faculty for the Emeritus award. I asked for a copy of the criteria for Professor Emeritus adopted by UPLB.

UP Mindanao Chancellor and COA Findings. President Roman reported that the Administration has received a copy of the August 2010 COA findings but have to receive the response of Chancellor Rivero to it.

Clarification requested by a former UPD faculty whose appointment was not renewed after she successfully filed a sexual harassment complaint against the director of her institute. This stemmed from a 2006 case where faculty complainant successfully got a judgment of “less grave acts of sexual harassment” against the Director of her Institute. As the complainant had a temporary appointment, the deliberations of the Institute on her renewal was presided by the same Director as he has filed an appeal on the penalty of six months suspension. Then Faculty Regent Roland Simbulan brought the matter to the BOR and the Board instructed Chancellor Cao to create an independent committee to look into this matter. The complainant, who is now a faculty member in another CU of UP, wrote to me last October 27 requesting for the report of the independent committee. According to the UP Administration, Chancellor Cao has yet to submit the report.

4. 2010 Faculty Regent Selection Results. VPAA Guevara submitted the consolidated results of the Regent Selection

Dr. Ida Dalmacio 764

Dr. Teodoro Mendoza 623

Dr. Catelo 216

Dr. Acorda 74

Abstention 64

Total Votes cast 1741 out of 3582 qualified voters or 49% turnout

Of total votes cast: 1046 or 60% were via manual voting and 695 or 40% were cast via electronic voting

The 1,741 voters’ turnout for the 2010 Faculty Regent Selection Process was lower by 613 votes compared to the 2,354 voters’ turnout in 2008.

5. Start of Selection Process for UP Diliman Chancellor: The term of the UP Diliman Chancellor ends on February 28, 2011. The selection process shall start after the selection of the new UP President on December 1 to allow the new President free hand to constitute the Search Committee. President Roman related that this was the same process observed when she was chosen President in November 2004.

6. Appointments

UP Manila , Dean of College of Nursing Dr. Araceli O. Balabagno

UP Los Banos, Director, Animal and Diary Sciences Cluster Dr. Cesar C. Sevilla

7. UP Budget

The Student Regent shared with the BOR a copy of the “Manifesto of Unity Against Education Budget Cuts And a Challenge for the Next UP President” signed during the General Assembly of Students Councils of the UP System held in Baler, Quezon last October 29-30, 2010 convened and presided by then Student Regent Cori Alessa Co.

President Roman shared the UP Administration’s attendance in the Senate deliberations of the budget of the State Universities and Colleges. She has gathered initial commitments for the following additional allocation:

      PGH P150 million

      National Science Center P200 million

      ERDT P300 million

      UP Cebu P 30 million

8. Policy Matters

Change in the title from “Program Coordinators” to “Program Directors” for those In-Charge of the Various Research Program Thrusts/Core Facilities of the Philippine Genome Center

Reintegration of the UP Los Baños’ Agricultural Credit and Cooperatives Institute (ACCI) from the College of Public Affairs to the College of Economics and Management (CEM) and renaming it from ACCI to the Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED)

Reiteration of a Board-Approved Additional 10% discount at the Philippine General Hospital for UP Employees. President Roman invited Dr. Eric Domingo to make a short presentation to the Board regarding this. After his presentation, I put on record that I have a standing motion for reconsideration regarding the removal of Dr. Jose Gonzales as PGH Director which has not been discussed by the Board upon the opinion of VP for Legal Affairs Teodoro Te that such discussion is “sub judice” because Dr. Gonzales has a pending court case against UP on this matter.

9. Proposal of UP Visayas for a “ LOVENature Park , A University Support Facility”. Around 19.6 hectares spread across the 1,222 hectares of the Miag-ao; Iloilo campus is envisioned to be developed into a park “to promote environmental awareness, sustainable protection of land and forest resources in the area and physical fitness while contributing economically to the local area.” The five main components are hiking and biking trail with 8 stations, a campsite, outdoor sports facilities, airsoft ground and a mini-coastal village.” The BOR deferred approval of the proposal upon confirming from the UPV Chancellor that the students, through their elected representatives, have not been consulted in the formulation of the proposal.”

10. UP Cebu as autonomous unit: The day before the BOR meeting, the Staff Regent and I held a consultation meeting with the faculty, staff and students of UP Cebu . I reported on the concerns raised during the consultations.

Financial allocation: I shared with the BOR the letter of Dr. Lawlita Cabahug, a member of the faculty of UP Cebu , who documented the concern raised during the consultation about availability of funds of the new autonomous unit when its administration will be transferred to the Office of the President. President Roman clarified that the University has set aside P50 million for UP Cebu and that she has received a commitment from Senator Serge Osmena for a P30 million allocation for the Lahug campus.

Prof. Roberto Basadre’s tenure: I have raised this concern several times. Prof. Basadre has been recommended for tenure by the various academic units of UP Cebu as early as 2009 as he has fulfilled the requirements for tenure. But as he is a faculty member of the UP Cebu High School , which is going to be restructured to a UP Cebu High School for the Arts, the UP Cebu Dean has opposed the grant of tenure. Prof. Basadre remains a temporary faculty member until May 2011. The question raised is the power of the Dean to overturn the recommendation of the academic units based on administrative reasons. Prof. Basadre and the APFC of UP Cebu have appealed to the Chancellor to grant the faculty member tenure.

For information

Copies of the appointment papers of the three newly-appointed Regents were shared during the meeting:

Elizabeth Siguion-Reyna: appointed vice Nelia T. Gonzales, for the unexpired term up to March 5, 2012.

Magdaleno B. Albarracin , Jr.: appointed vice Francis N. Chua, for the unexpired term up to February 18, 2012.

Reynato S. Puno: vice Abraham F. Sarmiento, for a term expiring on September 30, 2012.

12. The Board confirmed the “Resolution of Support for the University of the Philippines Faculty of Law, Declaring Its Adherence to Academic Integrity and Intellectual Honesty and Asking the Supreme Court to Withdraw Its Show Cause Order Against the Thirty-Seven (37) Members of the UP Law Faculty”. As it was adopted in principle in the October 28 meeting of the Board and ratified by referendum, the resolution was confirmed by the Board with Regent Puno abstaining.

Postscript: The three Sectoral Regents joined the November 26 UP Cebu protest against the budget cut which was held simultaneously with the UP Diliman and UP Manila's second day of protest.

U.P. has a new Student Regent

(Editor's note: The following is a statement from the Facebook page of Faculty Regent regarding the new U.P. Student Regent Jacque Eroles and the former Student Regent Cori Alessa Co. Ms. Co was not allowed to vote as a member of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) Board of Regents (BOR) last November 17 in the election for a new U.P. President due to an issue regarding her academic standing as a student. The BOR decided to postpone the elections to December 3. Ms. Eroles succeeds Ms. Co and was sworn in as Student Regent during the November 26, 2010 BOR meeting at U.P. Cebu by U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman)

Statement of Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo

(New U.P. Student Regent Jacque Eroles
Source: Facebook page of Regent Taquiwalo)

“Jaque Eroles took her oath as the new Student Regent last November 26, 2010 in U.P. Cebu. She will serve until April 2011. Jaque's record as Vice Chair of the USC of UP Diliman indicates that she will be a militant representative of the students in the Board of Regents and will advance democratic governance in the university and in opposing policies that will further erode the public character of UP.”

“We bid goodbye to Cori Alessa Co as Student Regent and acknowledge her tremendous contribution in uniting the UP students, through their Student Councils and organizations in the whole UP system in opposing the continued state abandonment of tertiary education and asserting that education is a right. We are confident that even as Cori is not part of the BOR anymore, she will continue to be a strong pillar of the youth and student movement.”

“Mabuhay ang mga iskolar ng bayan!”

(Ms. Cori Alessa Co when she was U.P. Student Regent
Source: http://tinyurl.com/28lws9v)

Announcement: U.P. Faculty, Student and Staff Regents support the U.P. College of Law Faculty

(Editor's note: the following is a joint statement issued today by Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo, Ph.D., Staff Regent Clodualdo "Buboy" Cabrera and Student Regent Cori Alessa Co in support of the Academic Freedom enjoyed by the 37 members of the U.P. College of Law Faculty who have uncompromisingly criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to exonerate Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo from charges of plagiarism based on the lack of malice or negligence on his part (in In Re: Del Castillo, A.M. No. 10-7-17-SC, 15 October 2010).

The UP Faculty, Student and Staff Regents condemn attack on academic freedom and express support for the UP College of Law Faculty

By exculpating Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo from the charge of plagiarism, the Supreme Court has shown just how far it is willing to throw all reason to the winds just to protect one of its most favored members. Not stopping at this jaw-dropping decision, it likewise issued a “show cause order” (Oct. 19), amazing in its vindictiveness, to the 37 UP Law faculty members (including the present dean and four former deans) who signed the “Statement of the Faculty of the UP College of Law” (August 9, 2010) accusing Justice Del Castillo of plagiarism. That “show cause order” states that there is “a general consensus that healthy criticism only goes so far” and that the UP Law faculty has apparently transgressed what it considers to be the limit. The Supreme Court is therefore not just reacting to any particular criticism but also claims, over and above this, that it is able to pass judgment on the “healthiness” of any kind of criticism against it. In other words, anything is “unhealthy” which shows it in a bad light.

Nothing reveals how embarrassed the Supreme Court is by its own farcical ruling than its attitude to brook no dissent on the matter. It is a fact that lawyers working in the academe would probably be the most competent and would be in the best position to testify on plagiarism amongst their colleagues in the profession. However, their honest opinion which was aired with the best of intentions, was not only disregarded, they are now being threatened with disbarment for speaking their minds.

It might be “healthy” at this point to remind the honourable justices about Section 5 in the UP Charter on “Academic Freedom” which states that, “the national university has the right and responsibility to exercise academic freedom." This guarantee applies to the UP Law Faculty just as much as any other vital part of the University.

We, the Faculty, Staff and Student Regents of the University of the Philippines therefore condemn this serious attack on academic freedom and express our steadfast support for the UP Law Faculty.

FACULTY REGENT PROF. JUDY M. TAGUIWALO, Ph.D.

STAFF REGENT CLODUALDO “Buboy” CABRERA

STUDENT REGENT CORI ALESSA CO

U.P. Faculty Regent’s Updates on the October 28 Board of Regents’ Meeting

By Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo

Faculty Regent’s Updates on the October 28 Board of Regents’ Meeting

October 29, 2010

The regular monthly meeting of the BOR was held last October 28 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Only seven of the 11 board members were present: President Emerlinda Roman, Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Alumni Regent Gladys Tiongco, Regent Nelia Gonzales, Student Regent Cori Alessa Co, Staff Regent Buboy Cabrera and I. Chair Licuanan and Senator Angara were out of the country on official business. Regent Chua was not present and Malacanang has not named a new Regent in place of Regent Sarmiento who passed away last October 3 in Prague, Czech Republic, where he was visiting his daughter, the current Philippine Ambassador to that country.

Here is my update on significant items of the meeting. Staff Regent Buboy Cabrera said he will make the report on the discussion of the Sagad award and the additional 10 days sick leave benefits for REPS and administrative staff.

1. Search for the next UP President: The November 19 BOR meeting to select the new UP President was reiterated. The interview by the Board of the 11 nominees will be held the day before or on November 18.

2. Faculty Regent Selection process: Vice President for Academic Affairs Amelia Guevara reported to the Board the results of the first round of nomination for the Faculty Regent Selection. The 2011-2012 Faculty Regent will come from UP Los Banos. The top five nominees and their votes during the first round are the following:

Teodoro Mendoza --- 428

Ida Dalmacio ----------- 159

Salvador Catelo ------- 100

Jezie Acorda ------------ 35

Felino Lansigan and Rita Laude ---30

The breakdown per CU of the first round of nomination showed that Dr. Mendoza topped the nomination in all six constituent universities except at the OU where he got one out of four votes.

The names of those going into the second round of nominations (meaning those who accepted the nominations) will be known by the first week of November. The actual voting which will select the next Faculty Regent will be on November 15 to 18, 2010 on the dates specified by the administration of the various CUs.

The rules for this selection prohibit campaigning by the nominees. Deans may however invite the nominees to talk to the faculty if they so desire. It is therefore important for us to read the CVs and vision statements of the nominees once they are uploaded on the UP website for us to make an informed choice of our next representative to the Board of Regents.

1. UP Budget: The P1.39 billion budget cut for the 2011 UP budget remains as of second reading in the HOR. Rep. Angara requested President Roman to submit priority items that may be included when the House committee deliberates on possible insertions to the budget. President Roman said she will do so and emphasized the need for additional MOOE for PGH whose budget has been cut. The budget deliberations will continue once Congress resumes sessions on November 8.

1. Appointments of officials:

Dean, School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS), UPD—Prof. Johann Frederick A. Cabbab

Dean, College of Social Work and Community Development, UPD—Dr. Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo

Director, National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UPD—Dr. Cynthia T. Hedreyda (third term)

5. COA report on the UP Mindanao Chancellor: As I shared with you in my September update on BOR meeting, the concern raised regarding the overspending in the 2007 investiture of the UP Mindanao chancellor was tabled for the next meeting. The Commission on Audit in Davao City in its August 23, 2010 “Report on the Special Audit /Investigation Conducted of the University of the Philippines Mindanao “ found that that Chancellor Rivero had overspent by P269,584.67 or by 72% of the approved budget investiture budget of P374,216. The report ended with the recommendation that the UP Mindanao Chancellor should “ be admonished to prioritize the allocation of its funds on U.P.-Min's mandated purposes.” (For a copy of the August 2010 COA report, please see http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/09/commission-on-audit-criticizes-up.html). The Presidents of the UP Mindanao chapters of the All UP Workers Union and the All UP Academic Employees Union as well as the Chair of the UP Mindanao Student Council wrote “strongly urging” the Board to:

“Let Dr. Rivero personally restitute the excess amount spend during her investiture, amounting to PhP269,584.67. It is clear from the breakdown of this amount that the expenses were extravagant, unnecessary, or personal (i.e., expenses of her guests); Recall Dr. Rivero’s appointment as chancellor of UP Mindanao based on moral integrity and misuse of limited funds; to whom much is given, much is expected in terms of accountability;

Translate “admonish” into specific sanction for Chancellor Rivero.“

President Roman said that Chancellor Rivero had appealed the decision of the COA and the COA Mindanao report has not been officially transmitted to the University. The Board should recognize the right of the Chancellor to due process before taking any action.

1. Implementation of the May 27,2010 BOR decision granting the appeal for tenure of Prof. Sarah Raymundo: Sarah Raymundo remains without any teaching appointment over five months since the BOR decision. The Department of Sociology continues to refuse to prepare her appointment papers. Other options for Sarah Raymundo have been explored but none has led to any possibility that she will be able to teach this second semester.

2. Tenure issue of UP Cebu Professor Roberto Basadre : Prof. Basadre has fulfilled all the requirements for tenure and has been recommended by the UPV Cebu College Academic Personnel Committee for tenure last September 4, 2009. The Dean of the UPV Cebu College overruled the recommendation for tenure on the grounds of the possible reorganization of UP Cebu High School. Instead the waiver rule (extending the temporary appointment of a faculty, usually used to allow time for faculty members’ publication to come out) was used to extend his temporary appointment twice in a row. With the creation of UP Cebu College as an autonomous unit under the Office of the President, the tenure recommendation of the CAPC remains unacted and Prof. Basadre is in danger of losing his teaching assignment when his temporary appointment ends in May 31, 2011. In fact the UP Cebu College Dean wrote that :

I again raised the issue in the October 28 BOR meeting and observed that the creation of UP Cebu College would have as its victim Prof. Basadre. President Roman said she will clarify this with Dean Avila of UP Cebu College.

Other items deferred for future deliberations:

1. The UP Administration recommended that the “computation of the sick leave benefits of those faculty extended beyond age 65 be based on the salary of actual retirement date instead of the salary at age 65.”  The Staff Regent asked for a deferment of approval so that information on the possibility of extending this to administrative staff and REPS could be explored. I also asked for deferment until the information on the names and number of faculty who would benefit from this policy and the financial implication of such extension be provided to the Board. My request for deferment is also based on the fact that the UP Administration has objected (on account of lack of money) to extending to faculty members who have reached the ceiling of their ranks as Assistant Professor or Associate Professor to cross ranks outside of the regular call for promotion. This policy of crossing ranks outside of the call for promotion currently applies only to faculty members who are about to retire.

2. Professor Emeritus: I was provided a copy of the September 24 letter to the UP System Committee on Professor Emeritus written by seven professors of the Land and Water Resources Division of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering regarding the nomination of Dr. Wilfredo David, former UPLB Chancellor, as Professor Emeritus in Agricultural Engineering. That letter also pointed out that the college recommendation “to extend the services of Dr. David for one year beyond the mandatory retirement age of 65 years was not favorably acted upon by the present UPLB administration.”

On October 20, I requested to have this item on the agenda of the BOR meeting. Prior to the October 28 BOR meeting, the OSU provided me a copy of the October 21 letter of Vice President Guevara, who heads the system committee on professor emeritus , to the UPLB professors. In that letter, VP Guevara explained that the “UP System committee evaluates only the nominations endorsed by the Chancellors, upon the recommendation of their respective CU committees on Professor Emeritus”. In the same letter, VP Guevara informed the professors that “Dr. Wilfredo P. David was not nominated by UPLB Chancellor Rey Velasco. In his letter, Chancellor Velasco informed our office that “Four faculty retirees with the rank of full professors were evaluated by the UPLB Committee on Professor Emeritus but the Committee believes that none of them qualifies to be nominated to the prestigious nomination.”

During the BOR meeting, VP Guevara further explained that the Dean of the College to which Dr. David used to be connected did not recommend him for Professor Emeritus. I said that there are several concerns emerging from this issue:

• The need for transparency on the criteria for selection of professor emeritus and the composition of the committee tasked to make the recommendations; (I have been provided a copy of the criteria used by UP Diliman for the professor emeritus nomination but none from UPLB)
• The need to inform faculty members nominated for professor emeritus but who were not awarded the title the reason for such decision. Those nominated for professor emeritus belong to a small group of distinguished professors of the university and they at least deserve to be informed of the reason why they have not been awarded the title.

(Source: http://www.facebook.com/notes/judy-taguiwalo/updates-on-the-october-28-bor-meeting/449346553137) 

Opinion: The selection process for the U.P. Faculty Regent is being railroaded, union officials and several faculty say

(Is the outgoing U.P. Administration

outperforming the Phil. Nat'l Railways

in the fine art of railroading?

Photo source: http://tinyurl.com/2ccll5x)

The Search Process for a new University of the Philippines Faculty Regent may be in danger of being railroaded by the outgoing U.P. Administration, says the All U.P. Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and several faculty members, according to the website, U.P. Issues. The issues at hand center on the key demands of the administration of U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman that the new Faculty Regent, who is set to be elected and subsequently proclaimed on November 26, 2010 and who will be replacing the current Faculty Regent, Judy M. Taguiwalo, not be concurrently a member of a professional organization if a faculty member is appointed or nominated to the position. According to current U.P. practice, the position of Faculty Regent is rotated among different U.P. constituent universities, and this time around it will be the turn of U.P. Los Baños. Regular faculty members (Instructors to Professors) all over the UP system are allowed to nominate and select their Faculty Regent.

Critics are pointing to the untested electronic voting system which is scheduled to undergo a dry run between October 25 to 27. Since the entire system is being run by the U.P. Computer Center which is under the direct jurisdiction of the Office of the University President, there is no independent oversight which creates questions about the outcome of the election. A check of the Primer of the U.P. Faculty Regent Electronic Voting System shows that it is not clear when electronic voting will be allowed or manual voting. There is no clear cut mechanism for appeals in the event of a disagreement or a dispute. The critics are also pointing to the ban on campaigning as another probem, and this has been interpreted as one way of limiting the capability of such unions as the All U.P. Workers Union and the All U.P. Academic Employees Union to field a candidate and if the candidate is elected, to engage in mass actions against objectionable policies of the outgoing U.P. Administration, which typified the term of the outgoing Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo.

Faculty Regent Taguiwalo says that the discussions regarding the procedures were not even approved formally by the various university councils of the constituent universities before the U.P. Administration declared them as final and executory (http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/10/faculty-regents-updates-on-september-24.html).

To read the details about the Search Process for a Faculty Regent, please click on this link: http://upissues.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/2010-fr-selection/

Public Service Announcement: Tuloy ang laban para ibalik ang tama sa UP PGH

Narito ang larawan kuha pagkatapos ng hearing noong Oktubre 6 sa kasong isinampa ni Dr. Jose Gonzales laban sa UP kaugnay ng di makatarungang pag-alis sa kanya bilang Direktor ng PGH. Naroon ang mga kasamahan sa All UP Workers Union ng U.P. Manila-PGH at sina Dr. Ted Mendoza (Pangalawang Pambansang Pangulo para sa Faculty) at si Prop. Lanie Abad (Pangkalahatang Kalihim) ng All UP Academic Employees Union. Kasama namin sa larawan si Atty. Antonio Pastelero, Chair ng U.P. Student Council noong 1969 at mahusay na abogado ni Dr. Jose Gonzalez.

Sa Oktubre 22, Friday, 9 am ang susunod na hearing.

Patuloy nating suportahan si Dr. Gonzales at ang laban para ibalik ang tama sa U.P. PGH.

(Editor's note: the above announcement was sent as a link from the All U.P. Academic Workers Union via Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo. We have posted this in view of its newsworthiness to our readers, many of whom are still following the events at PGH closely. For readers who wish to get a sense of the running narrative involving the role of the Administration of outgoing U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman in the PGH issue, please click on the following link:

http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-of-long-knives.html

Faculty Regent's Updates on the September 24, 2010 BOR meeting

Updates on the September 24, 2010 BOR meeting
Judy M. Taguiwalo
Faculty Regent
September 29, 2010

I am sharing these updates on the September 24 BOR meeting held at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. The updates cover the substantial decisions and/or discussions which your Faculty Regent considers significant and are based on the notes I made during the meeting. The official documents of past Board of Regents meetings may be accessed at http://www.officeofthesecretary.webs.com/gazette.htm

1.For the first time, the new Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Edgardo Angara attended. This was the second BOR meeting for Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education, who was also present in the August 24 BOR meeting held in UP Mindanao. Only Nelia Gonzales among the three Malacanang-appointed Regents was present. Former Justice Abraham Sarmiento, whose term as Regent ends on September 29, and Francis Chua were absent. In all, nine Regents attended the meeting with the presence of CHED Chair Patricia Licuanan, UP President Emerlinda Roman, Atty. Gladys Tiongco, the new Alumni Regent, and the three Sectoral Regents

To read the remainder of Faculty Regent Taguiwalo's updates, please click on this link:
http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/10/updates-on-september-24-2010-bor.html

U.P. Board of Regents Search Committee accepts 11 nominations for next U.P. President

The University of the Philippines (U.P.) Board of Regents (BOR), constituting itself as a Search Committee for the Next UP President at its 1259th meeting held on August 27, 2010 at the Mintal campus of UP Mindanao accepted the nominations for the next UP President today, according to a statement made on the Facebook page of U.P. Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo, and an announcement also made on the U.P. website at: http://www.up.edu.ph/. Here are the 11 nominees:

1. Alaras, Consolacion R.

2. Azanza, Patrick Alain T.

3. Briones, Leonor M.

4. Cabral, Esperanza I.

5. Cao, Sergio S.

6. Diokno, Benjamin E.

7. Diokno Ma. Serena I.

8. Pangalangan, Raul C.

9. Pascual, Alfredo E.

10. Teodosio, Virginia S.

11. Velasco, Luis Rey

Full information and vision statements will be uploaded at the University of the Philippines System website soon at http://www.up.edu.ph/.

A Dearth of Nominees for the U.P. Presidency thus far is revealed at the Sixth U.P. Sectoral Regents' Forum

(Dr. Ma. Serena Diokno with U.P. President

Emerlinda R. Roman, DBA)

(U.P. Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, Ph.D.)

(Dr. Patrick T. Azanza)

By Chanda Shahani

Only three individuals have emerged so far to throw their hats in the ring in the search for the next President of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) to replace outgoing U.P. President Emerlinda Roman whose term ends on February 9, 2011 according to information gathered by the Diliman Diary during the Sixth U.P. Sectoral Regents' Forum held at Faculty Center, U.P. Diliman on August 11, 2010.

The three individuals are U.P. Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, U.P. Diliman History Professor Ma. Serena Diokno and U.P. Diliman College of Education Senior Lecturer, Dr. Patrick Azanza

Dr. Cao is a professor of business administration from the U.P. Diliman College of Business Administration (CBA), Dr. Diokno was former Vice President for Academic Affairs of the U.P. System and Dr. Azanza is concurrently the CEO of WinSource Business Solutions.

“We need more nominations. Please encourage more people to send in more nominations. There is no need to get the immediate consent of the nominee, as the U.P. Administration itself will contact the nominees to find out if they agree to accept the nominations,” said Faculty Regent, Judy Taguiwalo, who along with Student Regent Cori Alessa Co and Staff Regent Clodualdo “Buboy” Cabrera, organized the forum.

According to Regent Taguiwalo, as of August 6, 2010, only Chancellor Cao and Dr. Diokno were confirmed nominees. However, Dr. Azanza, who attended the forum, confirmed to the Diliman Diary that his nomination was being submitted to the BOR, which is acting as the Seartch Committee for the next U.P. President.

The criteria for the selection of the next U.P. President and the procedure for the submission of nominations can be found at the U.P. website at: http://www.up.edu.ph/features.php?i=213

The last search process for the U.P. President in 2004, which ended with Dr. Roman being selected by the BOR in 2005 produced a total of eleven (11) nominees including Dr. Roman (http://www.up.edu.ph/oldsystem/search_candidates.htm).

Former Student Regent Marco de Los Reyes who cast his vote in 2004 in favour of Dr. Roman was the resource person. He shared the criteria, process and experience in the previous search. Staff Regent Clodualdo Cabrera provided the rationale and objectives of the Sectoral Regents fora while Student Regent Cori Alessa Co presented the criteria for nominations, the process and schedules for the 2010 Search for the Next UP President while Faculty Regent Taguiwalo made the Synthesis and Closing Remarks. The Emcees were U.P. Diliman's University Student Council Chairperson Rainier Astin Sindayen and All U.P. Academic Employees Union General Secretary Professor Melania Lagahit-Abad.

The objectives of the forum were to help prepare the informed participation of the university sectors in the search process through the sharing of information and experiences and to elicit suggestions and comments related to the selection process.

Former Student Regent de Los Reyes said that the search process is a chance for democratic governance as well as a chance to practice democracy. He said that while he voted for Roman, the issues in 2004 essentially boiled down to the BOR's having to choose between an acceptable U.P. insider such as Dr. Roman over former Ambassador Edgardo Espiritu, who was seen as an the personal choice of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, an unpopular president; and who embodied Malacañang interference in U.P.'s much-cherished academic freedom.

He said that despite the passage of the U.P. Charter (R.A. 9500) in 2008, which brought down the number of Malacañang Regents from five to three and added a Staff Regent, the governance structure still remains the same. Moreover, the U.P. Charter under Roman demonstrates how powerful a U.P. President could become. He also said that he is forecasting that the selection of the next U.P. President will “show cliques at play.”

He said that in the eleven-person BOR, former U.P. President Edgardo J. Angara and now Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and who represents the Senate in the U.P. Board of Regents will be joined by his son, Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (Aurora, LDP) who sits in the BOR by virtue of his position as Chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education. The two Angaras represent a voting bloc not sympathetic to President Benigno S. Aquino III, and would be expected to vote according to other relationships they have developed within the BOR itself.

Moreover, a breakdown of the votes by the Diliman Diary shows that Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and BOR Chairperson Patricia Licuanan is currently the only representative of the new administration since the three “Malacañang Regents” - Regent Abraham Sarmiento, Regent Francis Chua and Regent Nelia Gonzalez were reappointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo before the constitutional ban on midnight appointments kicked in on March 10, 2010. While Executive Order (E.O.) # 2 of President Aquino effectively overturns all midnight appointments as defined by certain criteria (See Diliman Diary, August 4, 2010: http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/08/with-president-aquinos-eo-2-three-3-up_04.html), R.A. 9500 itself allows the Malacañang Regents to simply renominate themselves to President Aquino for reappointment, thus allowing themselves to reinvent themselves as Aquino appointees. In reality, however, observers say that the three Malacañang Regents are close allies of President Roman and can be expected to vote for her personal choice for the next U.P. President.

The three sectoral regents – Faculty Regent Taguiwalo, Student Regent Co and Staff Regent Cabrera can be expected to vote along certain set principles and ethics that reflect the common concerns of their constituencies and can be assumed to constitute a voting bloc in their own right.

The Alumni Regent – Alfredo Reyes – has an independent voting record and can be considered a wild card in the votes cast for the next U.P. President.

If the two Angaras close ranks with the Roman bloc, then a minimum number of six votes will have been reached to constitute a majority to elect the next U.P. President.

Conventional wisdom would indicate that Roman would favour Chancellor Cao, a colleague of hers from CBA, but who is actually a professor of mathematics from the U.P. Diliman College of Science (before he switched to CBA), and who was groomed by his more senior colleagues within CBA to assume a series of high-level positions within the U.P. System.

But it is more complex than that. The history of the last five U.P. Presidents would illustrate there are several interlocking relationships that link themselves backwards from the Presidency of Dr. Roman (2005 to the present), Francisco Nemenzo, Jr. (1999-2005), Emil Q. Javier (1993-1999) and Jose V. Abueva (1987-1999). These relationships are based on professional relationships, ties through blood and marriage and also fraternity relations. The combined impact of all these relationships indicate that Dr. Diokno and Chancellor Cao may actually be co-nominees representing the same convergence of voting blocs.

For example, there is a clear University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) bloc involved that transcends the current BOR composition. Dr. Roman graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from U.P. Los Baños while Regent Nelia Gonzales is a leading member of the UPLB Alumni Association. Former U.P. President Emil Q. Javier taught at UPLB for many years. Even Senator Angara is a graduate of UPLB. On another level, former President Nemenzo is the second cousin of former U.P. President Abueva. On yet another level, former President Abueva's son, Jonas is married to President Roman's daughter, Regina. However, President Abueva was a close professional colleague of Dr. Diokno when he was U.P. President and she was Associate Dean of U.P. Diliman's College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (1992-1998). Dr. Diokno was the Director of the Third World Studies Center (1995-1999) which was founded by former President Nemenzo in 1976 when he was the Dean of the then College of Arts and Sciences of U.P. Diliman. The TWSC was founded, along ideological lines,  to "gradually reinsert radical thinking into a severely traumatized university environment," according to author Patricio N. Abinales in an essay written in the book, "Revisiting Marxism in the Philippines" (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2010).

But perhaps the convergence of interests between seemingly ideological opposites repesented by former President Nemenzo (an avowed Marxist) and Dr. Roman (who holds a doctorate in business administration from U.P. Diliman and has been at the forefront of commercializing U.P. assets) is best illustrated by narrowing in on key members of Pan Xenia fraternity of U.P. Diliman, which is is “an International Honorary Fraternity dedicated to the promotion of interests in foreign trade and the establishment of higher standards and ideals of business ethics” and counts among its fraternity alumni former President Nemenzo, three other former U.P. Presidents, Onofre D. Corpuz, Emmanuel V. Soriano and Carlos P. Romulo and eleven deans of the CBA (1929 to 1998: http://iskwiki.upd.edu.ph/index.php/Pan_Xenia_Fraternity) before two women deans headed the CBA – former Dean Elvira Zamora (1999 to 2001) and former Dean Erlinda Echanis (2001 to 2010), who was replaced by the current CBA Dean, Dr. Ben Paul B. Gutierrez. The CBA faculty therefore represent another imortant clique within the structure, but so do the so-called "radicals" represented by Dr. Nemenzo and Dr. Diokno.

The blurring of the seeming ideological divide was best symbolized when President Nemenzo who was set to retire on February 8, 2005 made an impassioned plea to the BOR in favour of Dr. Roman, which had the result of breaking a series of split votes between Roman and Espiritu which resulted in a vote of 7-5 in favour of Roman, who was then selected as the U.P. President.
Dr. Diokno does not suffer the handicap that former Ambassador Espiritu did of being seen as an outsider who was an unpopular president's choice. Like Chancellor Cao she is a career academician and a consummate insider who enjoys the support of the convergence of interlocking interests currently running the U.P. System.

However, nominees such as Dr. Azanza and others who are outsiders to the interlocking interests represented by Dr. Diokno and Chancellor Cao still have an even chance of getting a real democratic decision by the BOR on each of their cases even if the three Malacañang Regents refuse to step down voluntarily and resign as E.O. # 2 already provides for their automatic removal and even if the affected BOR members renominate themselves, President Aquino is not obligated to act on the nominations if there are other competing nominations to the BOR by President Aquino coming in from other quarters outside the BOR.

Admittedly, there is one other wild card. It is the Supreme Court, which in a related development, has turned down the petitions of Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo de Castro and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority director Eddie Tamondong for a restraining order (TRO) on Executive Order # 2, which revoked the midnight appointments made by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The SC did not immediately issue a TRO but ordered Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr, the sole respondent in the petitions for a TRO, to comment on the separate petitions of de Castro and Tamondong for a non-extendible period of 10 days.

This means Malacañang could proceed with the implementation of EO # 2, which was signed by President Benigno Aquino III on July 30.

Meanwhile, Student Regent Co said in the forum that the Call for Nominations which began on 15 July 2010 will end on 25 August 2010 with the Evaluation and Screening of Nominees on 27 August 2010.

(Chanda Shahani is the Editor of the Diliman Diary)

University of the Philippines Faculty Regent's July 29, 2010 Report

Prof. Judy M. Taguiwalo, the Faculty Regent of the U.P. System has isued her latest report which was uploaded today, August 2, 2010 in the website, U.P. Issues.

Her report covers the following:

I. The UP Sectoral Regents’ Forum on the Search for the Next UP President

II. The 2010 Sectoral Regents’ System-wide, Multi -sectoral Conference on September 2 and 3, 2010

III. Concerns raised regarding the 2010 Faculty Regent Selection Process

The report, in its entirety, including PDF attachments may be accessed by clicking on the link of U.P. Issues: http://upissues.wordpress.com/2010/08/02/fr-report-july-29/

The Diminishing Public Character of the University of the Philippines: Some Thoughts of an Alumna of Class 1970 on U.P. as the National University

(The Oblation at U.P. Philippine General Hospital

Photo by: Dr. Iggy Agbayani)

By Judy M. Taquiwalo
Faculty Regent
University of the Philippines

(Editor's note: The following article was originally rendered by Regent Taguiwalo in a Presentation to the UP Alumni Association 2010 UP Alumni Council Meeting June 25, 2010, Bahay Alumni, UP, Diliman, Quezon City and is uploaded here with her permission).

I belong to UP Class 1970 which is commemorating its 40th jubilee this year. I would like to share with you the wonderful news that I received my senior citizen card last February and am now looking forward to enjoying the full 12% VAT exemption starting July 6 when the expanded VAT law is implemented.

I would like to thank the UP Alumni Association for giving me this opportunity to look back to the time when we were young and strong and having senior moments was the farthest thing on our mind. .

What were some of the images and sounds of my undergrad days in UP Diliman The Catholic Chapel and UPSCA, the first organization I joined during my freshman year in Diliman; miniskirts and colored net stockings for the women, the shirt jack and pencil pants for men, British pop songs and pop groups with the Beatles leading the pack, Neil Armstrong announcing from the moon “ one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”, the national euphoria over Gloria Diaz selection as the first Filipina to be crowned Miss Universe, the earthquake which turned to ruins the Ruby Tower in Manila.

But there was uniqueness not only in the culture but also in the politics and mood of those times. There was massive disenchantment with the capitalist model of development which had put the market as the key to development and a premium on material goods and individualism. This disenchantment would partly account for the upsurge of social movements whose content and global magnitude was staggering: the anti Vietnam War movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement and the student rights movement in universities worldwide.

In the University of the Philippines, a strong nationalist movement emerged. The Philippine Collegian with Miriam Defensor (now Santiago) the first woman editor of the paper, carried the expose of then Sen. Lorenzo Tanada on the Americanization of the university under President Carlos P. Romulo citing among others the differences in salary and housing between American visiting professors and Filipino UP faculty. The Collegian was also instrumental in exposing the collaboration between UP Los Banos and Dow Chemicals in experimenting with napalm which was used by the United States in the Vietnam war.

A strong democratization movement in the university also emerged in 1969 during the start of the term of Salvador P. Lopez as UP President. A general strike on February 4, 1969 , launched by the broadest alliance of all student organizations on campus led by the UP Student Council and the Council of Leaders and supported by a number of prominent members of the faculty, was successful in asserting major democratic demands. These included the recognition of all student organizations on campus and making faculty advisers as optional not a requirement, student management and control of funds of the Student Council and the Philippine Collegian; transparency in the financial transactions of the university and opening of the university’s books of accounts to the public, tenure for faculty and non-academic personnel, additional medical insurance for the UP constituents, the removal of several key UP officials including then University Secretary Iluminada Panlilio, offices for student organizations; among others. . According to the Philippine Collegian in its February 6, 1969 issue, President Lopez critiqued the colonial character of the Board of Regents and suggested that the Board should be primarily composed of faculty and students, instead of businessmen. ‘

These movements inside the University and the succeeding First Quarter Storm 1970 , the UP Diliman Commune in 1971 and martial law in 1972 would transform many in my generation of UP students , to reject a life of individualism and consumerism, for a life, in the midst of the masses of our people, of resistance to tyranny and foreign domination Many of my UP contemporaries would suffer torture and imprisonment while still others would die in various fighting fronts in our country during the long harsh night of the Marcos dictatorship.

Members of my UP generation were not the first, nor the last from the University who aspired to live up to the ideals of the University as social critic and the ideal of service to the nation as symbolized by the Oblation.

This brief history and context and my emphasis on UP as social critic and in the service of the nation frame my views on UP as the National University.

Through the years the University of the Philippines has been widely recognized as the country’s “premier state university” which highlighted the public character of the university and its high academic standards

With the passage of a new UP Charter in 2008 , the university has abandoned its description as the country’s premier state university and is now officially known as the national university. Removing the description “premier state university” and replacing it with national university, according to University officials, aims to highlight UP’s national presence, the breadth and scope of its academic offerings and to assert that UP is the best not only among state universities but among all higher education institutions of the country. On the other hand, the term national university and the loss of the designation of UP as a state university in the name actually calls attention to the diminishing public character of UP, a process which has accelerated in the past decade.

Some of the manifestations of the diminishing public character of the University are the transfer to the students of a larger part of the cost of their education through increased tuition and the imposition of various fees such as higher and/or new laboratory fees , joint ventures with big business, the selling of naming rights, the privatization of former university services such as the University Food Service and the UP Printery, contracting a private entity to set up laboratory, pharmacy and radiology inside the PGH compound in exchange for providing space to UP doctors for their private practice, the private management of university dorms are only some examples of the accelerating and diversified ways of privatization of the University of the Philippines.

(No to commecialization parking sign

at Yakal Residence Hall, U.P. Diliman

Photo by: Chanda Shahani)

You may ask, what’s wrong with these if they generate badly-need resources for UP? Let me share with you some of my thoughts on the negative impact of the ongoing process which is eroding the public character of UP as a state university.

1. Transferring more and more the burdens of resource generation to the students is going to change the profile of the student population of the university. It was already difficult during my time, when tuition was a low P185 per semester for a family like mine whose father was a school principal earning P300 per month to cope with the cost of education, it is so much more difficult at present for children of the middle class and the lower income class to enter UP with an average tuition of P1,000 per unit. The 2006 reformulated socialized tuition scheme projected only about 10% of new UP students would be covered by the free tuition with allowance. Some of my colleagues foresee the day when UP would be like Ateneo with majority of the students coming from higher income families and a minority of poor with scholarships.

2. The corporatization of the university structure and governance.

a. Already Section 24, “Management of Funds” of the UP Charter, designates representatives of big business as investment advisers to the university through the creation of a so-called “independent trust committee” composed of the UP President and representative each from the Bankers Association of the Philippines, the Investment Houses Association of the Philippines, the Trust Officers Association of the Philippines and the Financial Executive Institute of the Philippines. This independent trust committee, a new structure in the university, “shall provide the Board with direction on appropriate investment objectives and permissible investments with the view to preserving the value of the funds while allowing the University to earn a reasonable return thereon. The Charter has now institutionalized the University going into business as an important mission.
b. The criteria for the selection of the college Deans, the primary academic leaders of the various degree-granting units, now also place high emphasis on the “resource generating” capability of the nominees.
c. An increase in the number of Vice Presidents and Assistant Vice Presidents as well as Executive Assistants in the UP System administration has also been noted. A case in point is the transformation of the title of the UP General Counsel into the Vice President for Legal Affairs indicating perhaps the expanded role of the legal office not only in academic and disciplinal questions but in the matters of contracts and agreements with business entities.

3. The increase in the number of contractual workers of the university as non-academic but vital services necessary for running the university are being privatized. Contractual workers have no job security, limited benefits and in most cases are “discouraged” from forming or joining unions.
4. The trend towards developing greater dependence on the private sector, particularly big business and foreign corporations, in generating funds, rather than in more vigorous engagement with the state. The danger of this trend is the question of accountability: the private sector is basically accountable to its investors; the state is accountable to the public and individuals could be removed via elections.

For a number of us in the university, the most dangerous impact of the diminishing public character of the university is the erosion of the ideological mooring of service to the country and to the people among the students and among the faculty with the prominence being given to market rates as the standard for tuition and for salaries. Already, some quarters in the university have adopted “Iskolar para sa bayan” rather than Iskolar ng Bayan, a term which emerged during the height of martial law and which captures the fact that UP students are subsidized by the public and have an obligation to serve the people. This is not true for the term “iskolar para sa bayan” which can encompass Ateneo’s description of “person for others”

The salary of the UP faculty is constantly compared to the salary of Ateneo and La Salle professors, to emphasize the comparatively lower pay of the latter and/or to explain the resignation of a number of UP faculty. The emphasis on economic standards alone will never be sufficient to retain professors in the university as private corporations, big private universities charging astronomic tuition and transnational corporations will always have the capacity to pay more than UP.

Improvement of salary and benefits for UP faculty and personnel are of course necessary but not at the expense of the students and the erosion of the public character of the university that distinguishes it from Ateneo or La Salle. I have talked to retired UP professors who spent the best parts of their lives in the University and heard them recount why they were happy in the university and why they stayed. It was never about the money but of the joy of teaching bright students in an atmosphere of academic freedom and collegiality in a secular university with the highest stature in the country, Housing on campus, study privilege for children and the privilege to enjoy the acacia and the fire trees along the academic oval and were additional and important incentives.

It is difficult but not impossible to demand from the state higher subsidy to the University. The passage of the third Salary Standardization Law last 2009, which would bring about annual increases in salaries of government personnel in government agencies, was a product of intense and consistent lobbying by public sector workers including the university’s workers unions.

Tomorrow, June 26, is the 4th year of the abduction and disappearance of two UP students, Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, two of the more than 100 victims of enforced disappearances during the Arroyo administration.

Let me therefore end by sharing an excerpt from the statement “Soul Searching, A Statement for the July 20, 2006 Activity for the Missing Students”

It is now easier to take stock of the conditions that shape a university’s soul. Unlike other institutions that are primarily driven by the inertia of capital and power, a university ideally enjoys relative isolation from these imperatives to allow it to fulfill its important
role as a social critic and repository of social memory. This historic role has been played by UP time and time again. Generations of UP students and faculty have lived these ideals of speaking the truth against power whether it be against foreign domination, corruption or tyranny. Many of the activists, nationalists, and intellectuals that help chart the destiny of this nation towards more democratic ideals came from the university. In an apt symbolism represented by the Oblation, countless have martyred themselves offering their lives for the ideal that the university stands – the courage to speak the truth when no one dares to, and to sacrifice one’s life for such convictions. It is the capacity of the university to witness for the truth that gains for it a soul. Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan are embodiments of this core of university traditions.”

In sum, the challenge to UP as the national university is to retain its soul by arresting the ongoing processes which are diminishing the public character of the university, by arresting the drift of UP Naming Mahal turning into UP Na Naging Mahal and to continue to call on its constituents that “UP ang galing mo, ialay sa bayan.

Post script: I have been requested prior to my presentation this morning to suggest concrete ways by which the UP Alumni Association can assist the university. I have two proposals which would contribute to help arrest the diminishing public character of the university:

1. For UPAA to assist the University in lobbying for a higher 2011 budget. The Administration is proposing an P18 billion budget. At the minimum, the 2011 budget should be higher than the 2010 UP budget.
2. For UPAA to assist the University in filing and lobbying for a bill that would earmark to UP a percentage of current revenues generated from corporate taxes on top of the regular budget allocation.

The Search Process has begun for a new University of the Philippines President

 

         (U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman)

By Chanda Shahani

Wanted: A New U.P. President.

The Search for the New University of the Philippines (U.P.) President to replace President Emerlinda R. Roman has started with the June 2, 2010 U.P. Board of Regents (BOR) decision to constitute the BOR as the Search Committee. President Roman's term ends in February of 2011.

The details of the nomination process and schedules are still to be discussed, according to Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo in a comment dated June 4, 2010 in her Facebook page. However, going by past precedents, the nominations of candidates are expected to begin in June, once guidelines have been established and communicated by the BOR.

Some of the burning issues that the next U.P. President will have to tackle are: 

• How will the UP President lead U.P. to contribute to national industrialization
• U.P.'s reduction of its income & asset inequity
• Promotion of clean & transparent governance, including opening the books of University affiliated foundations to the Commission on Audit
• Strengthen excellence in science & technology, and creative Filipino culture, including arts, humanities & literature.
• Increase faculty & staff salaries & benefits, 
• Wise use of land  and other assets of the University to ensure greater advantage in its contracts with business contractors & subcontractors
• How will UP take advantage of Global ICT to promote excellence in its academic programs? 
• What will the next U.P. president do to reduce the rate of professors who leave the University, to seek greener pastures in foreign countries?
• How can U.P. generate more income without compromising its core values of producing graduates to serve the Filipino people?

President Roman's Mixed Legacy

As her term draws to its inevitable conclusion, President Roman's legacy is decidedly mixed. Touted by her spinmeisters as the “Centennial President” she will be judged by how well she was able to carry out her ten-point program which she detailed at the start of her term: http://www.up.edu.ph/upnewsletter2.php?i=184&pg=197&pgidx=&pgmax=1&issue=63

President Roman can count among her successes the passage of Republic Act 9500 or the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008, the very successful U.P. Centennial celebrations in 2008 that instilled pride in U.P. alumni everywhere, the further development of science and technology capabilities of the university and the improvement in faculty and staff welfare benefits, and the successful raising of funds though university-affiliated foundations

But the dark side of her Administration's legacy cannot be ignored either. Critics cite the simultaneous removal of former Student Regent Charisse B. Bañez,  and PGH Director Jose Gonzales as part of a U.P. administration-hatched pincer movement to guarantee the unimpeded implementation of the privatization of the Philippine General Hospital, despite criticisms from the Department of Justice that there was not enough consultation, and that the contract was contrary to the U.P. Charter. Others have criticized her, as chief academic officer of the university, for the denial of an appeal for tenure by U.P. Diliman Sociology Professor Sarah Raymundo despite her obvious qualifications, forcing Professor Raymundo to successfully appeal for a positive ruling from the Board of Regents, widely seen as a slap in the face of Roman over her executive decision. Still others have decried the implementation of the Large Class Scheme in U.P. Los Baños on a test basis, as part of an effort to cut costs and compromising quality at the same time. They say that the Large Class scheme will be rolled out over time throughout the entire U.P. System, replicating an essentially flawed policy.

Readers are invited to send in comments about how well President Roman was able to carry out her ten-point program by emailing us at dilimandiary@yahoo.com or just send in your comments by clicking on the comments button below (comments are subject to editing):

 A Blast from the Past:

Included below is an excerpt from the U.P. system website in 2004 entitled, “Search for UP President”:

"Who will succeed UP President Francisco Nemenzo when he ends his term in February 2005?

Last September 6, the Board of Regents decided to accept the nomination of 11 candidates for the next UP President. On September 10, the nominees hit the campaign trail via a public forum/ consultation in UP Baguio. The public forum culminated on September 27 in UP Diliman. Then, from October 11 to 15, the candidates will be interviewed by the BOR. By November, a new UP president shall have been selected."(http://www.up.edu.ph/oldsystem/search_candidates.htm

(Chanda Shahani is the editor of the Diliman Diary).

UPDATES: We are including below comments to this article sent to us via email:

Jennifer Parker (via Facebook)

I'm not familiar with the rules on choosing the UP president but I do wish that President Roman have another term...UP have a lot of 'physical' improvement during her term. It was not an easy undertaking but I like the UPD campus better than four years ago...

Paul Lee (via Facebook)

I can say it's about time. The university needs an overhaul.

Jenny Ortuoste (via Facebook)

Finally...!

Prince Gabonada (via Facebook)

I do not know the exact programs of Pres.Roman, but the aftermath of her term will continue to hurt students...especially the TOFI (Tuition and other Fee Increases) ... I think its time to find a pro-student president...

Lorna Adlawan Fernandez (via Facebook)

Yes I think she should be replaced..despite other comments on the contrary, I believe UP (Diliman) has wasted away...such potential, such beauty when we were there. Even then good teachers continue to disappear to greener pastures..how come infra and personnel hasn't been addressed despite increase in tuition. I think Roman is only an academician and not an administrator and manager with the vision to move forward and put UP back in its proper place of being the number1 academic institution in the Philippines!

The U.P. Board of Regents turns down Ayala Land, Inc.'s current proposal to take over U.P. Integrated School, favors a development plan first

(Source: Facebook page of No to Ayala Land,

Inc.'s proposal to take over UPIS)

By Chanda Shahani

The University of the Philippines (U.P.) Board of Regents (BOR) has turned down Ayala Land, Inc.'s (ALI) unsolicited proposal to commercialize the U.P. Integrated School (UPIS) along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City in favor of U.P.'s first coming out with a development plan for the UPIS site.

According to Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo, the BOR met on June 2 and discussed ALI's proposal as part of the agenda. During the meeting, the BOR instructed the UP Administration to come up with a development plan for the current UPIS site and call for a public bidding once this is approved. It turned down the unsolicited proposal of Ayala Land Inc. as not being in the best in the best interests of UP.

The Diliman Diary has previously covered this issue, where it was revealed that U.P. and therefore, the Filipino taxpayer may not necessarily have gotten the best possible deal under ALI's unsolicited proposal (See Diliman Diary, May 28 and May 26, 2010) since market forces or more competition were not given the best chance to operate. Regent Taguiwalo's revelation that the BOR's insistence that there be a development plan first before the private sector is allowed to enter the fray under competitive bidding conditions in the UPIS case effectively creates a precedent for the future development of other properties within the U.P. System.

Under Republic Act 9500 or the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008, U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman is not only the chief academic officer of the University but also its chief executive officer. As such, it is her administration that will bear the chief responsibility to come out with a workable development plan for UPIS that faitfully follows the spirit and letter of R.A. 9500.

Section 22 of R.A. 9500 (http://tinyurl.com/2wbcmzn), entitled "Land Grants and Other Real Properties of the University" states that:

• Income derived from the development of all land grants and real properties, such as the UPIS property shall be used to further the end of the national university, as may be decided by the BOR;
• The Board may plan, design, approve and/or cause the implementation of land leases: Provided, That such mechanisms and arrangements shall sustain and protect the environment in accordance with law, and be exclusive of the academic core zone of the campuses of the University of the Philippines: Provided, further, that such mechanisms and arrangements shall not conflict with the academic mission of the national university;
• The Board may approve the implementation of joint ventures: Provided, That in the event real properties of the national university are involved, only the income derived by the University from the use of the real properties shall be the subject of its participation or obligation in the joint ventures: Provided, further, That no joint venture shall result in the alienation of the real properties of the national university; and
• Any plan to generate revenues and other sources from land grants and other real properties entrusted to the national university shall be consistent with the academic mission and orientation of the national university as well as protect it from undue influence and control of commercial interests: Provided, That such programs, projects or mechanisms shall be approved by the Board subject to a transparent and democratic process of consultation with the constituents of the national university: Provided, further, That funds generated from such programs, projects or mechanisms shall not be meant to replace, in part or in whole, the annual appropriations provided by the national government to the national university.

A very likely key point person to be tasked by President Roman to participate in the development plan formulation tasked to the U.P. Administration by the BOR is U.P. College of Architecture Assistant Professor Armin B. Sathou, who currently holds the rank of Vice President for Development for the U.P. System.

A detailed interview  given by Vice President Sarthou and posted on the U.P. website, and entitled, "U.P. Forum Roundtable on the University in the next 20 years" (July-August, 2009, http://www.up.edu.ph/upforum.php?i=275&archive=yes&yr=2009&mn=8) gives a glimpse of some of the elements of such a possible development plan. The interview, quoting Sarthou extensively, and given from a trained architect's perspective, shows his point of view, which could be incorporated in the development plan and which the BOR may either adopt, reject or even modify:

• Circulation. The campus, already known for its pleasant and green ambience, will now be characterized by even wider and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and walkways, connecting the different nodes and clusters within the campus, cutting through landscaped lushness, with more defined spaces for reflection and meditation. Vehicular access inside the campus will be limited to those with infirmities, and walking will be the norm. Parking structures will be located at the outer edges of the campus to encourage walking and the use of the public transportation system, which by then will be characterized by electric-powered transport—battery-powered ikot jeepneys drawing their power from solar panels and strategically-located charging centers, or perhaps a well laid-out monorail system conveniently connecting all areas of the campus.
• Housing. Some of the single detached housing developments on campus will have to give way to low-rise (three-storey) residential buildings, in the process eliminating altogether the long waiting lists for faculty and staff housing on campus. The new developments will be less dense than the present walk-ups, and will contain amenities that will enhance the quality of life of its residents, including localized sports and recreation facilities and multi-functional clubhouses. These projects will be made possible either though the University’s own financing and management, or in collaboration with private developers.
• Resource Generation. The University will, with the help of government, the alumni and the private sector, successfully convert hitherto unproductive real estate into resource-generating assets, decreasing dependence upon government subsidy to just under 25%.of its funding requirements. Assets such as the Sierra Madre and Mindanao land grants will by then be fully productive, with agroforest plantations in some portions to fortify University finances, and rich biodiversity in other areas to serve the University’s teaching and research functions. In all CUs, assets closer to campus will be further developed with the construction of more academic buildings and support facilities, housing for faculty, staff and students, and science and technology centers.

(Chanda Shahani is the editor of the Diliman Diary).

U.P.'s Staff Regent says "Swiss Challenge" rules will apply to Ayala Land, Inc.'s proposed privatization of the U.P. Integrated School Property

Staff Regent Clodualdo "Buboy" Cabrera

(Source: Facebook page
of Laban PGH Movement)

By Chanda Shahani

It's confirmed. "Swiss Challenge" rules will apply in the evaluation by the University of the Philippines (U.P.) Board of Regents (BOR) of the unsolicted proposal by Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) to take over the U.P. Integrated School (UPIS) along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City and transfer UPIS to the now non-operational Narra Residence Hall located inside the U.P. Diliman Campus, also in the same city.

According to U.P. Staff Regent Clodualdo "Buboy" Cabrera, the proposed conversion of the 20 hectare UPIS property was an unsolicited proposal submitted by ALI and discussed as part of the agenda of the May 27, 2010 BOR meeting held at Quezon Hall at U.P. Diliman.

Under the Swiss Challenge system as it is practised in the Philippines (See Diliman Diary, May 26, 2010), the government grants the original project proponent a predefined advantage through a point system in a competitive bidding process. This allows third parties to make better offers or "challenges." The original proponent then has the right to match a superior offer (http://tinyurl.com/3yow9r8). 

Cabrera said the proposal was still in its preliminary stages, and thus not enough time had elapsed for other interested competitors to submit their own proposals; given that the BOR was still in the process of evaluating and reacting to the original ALI proposal.

Here are some of the details of the ALI proposal as it currently stands: 

• ALI is proposing a 25-year lease agreement for the UPIS property
• U.P. will get 10% of any commercial building lease revenues
• U.P. will also get 15% of any land lease revenues
• Total leasable office space areas would equal 12,000 square meters
• Total gross leasable retail areas would equal 50,000 square meters
• All told, the entire leasable area under consideration equals 62,000 square meters
• ALI is proposing an overall compensation package to U.P. of PhP 177 million over the entire 25-year period

Regent Cabrera said that he did the math, and found out that the revenue accruing to U.P. came to a measly PhP 9.00 per square meter per month. The Diliman Diary validated the math by dividing PhP 177 million by 25 years and further dividing the product by 62,000 square meters to get a total compensation of PhP 114.00 per square meter year for U.P. Dividing that figure by 12 to get the monthly figure, we got PhP 9.52 per square meter per month for the coffers of U.P.

By way of comparison, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) accredited properties in Libis, Ortigas and Makati City charge anywhere from a low of PhP 250.00 per square meter per month to a high of PhP 600.00 per square meter per month. If ALI wins the Swiss Challenge, ALI as the building developer, with U.P. concurring, is expected to apply for PEZA accreditation as it has already done so for the the 37.5 hectare North Science and Technology Park, located along Commonwealth Avenue in Diliman where the U.P.-Ayala Land Technohub is located. Even the U.P. Ayala Technohub, which is run by the Ayala Foundation, Inc., and located along C.P. Garcia Avenue, enjoys PEZA status.

According to the PEZA website (http://www.peza.gov.ph/) PEZA benefits include income tax holidays for up to four years, a special 5% tax on gross income (after the income tax holiday), payment exemptions.. Foreign investors will also be granted a permanent residency status upon initial investment of USD 150,000 to any sustainable, local enterprise. These are particularly attractive to business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, given the proximity to quality graduates from U.P. Diliman and elsewhere which will help drive the need of BPOs for comparatively cheap but skilled knowledge economy-based human resources. Since BPO workers are given comparatively higher starting salaries than their counterparts in other industries, ALI's business model hopes to capture back some of the disposable income spent by call center agents and their bosses by ensuring that there enough restaurants, convenience stores and other retail outlets. This is why a mixed-use site is being envisioned, and not just office spaces.

But the bottom-line, said Regent Cabrera, is that U.P. can do much better than the ALI proposal as it now stands, in terms of revenues obtained by U.P. He said that he is not even in favor a Swiss Challenge as he thinks that the UPIS property can be put to better use by constructing dormitory facilities for students or other essential university structures. In fact, a huge secondary market for bedspaces, apartments, houses, etcetra exists now precisely because of the university's inability to provide safe, decent and affordable housing to the entire population of students who needs this service.

Other critics have criticized U.P.'s decision to mimic the overall outsourcing boom in the country by attracting facilities that cater to the low-end call center and outsourcing market which represents a "dumbing down" of the job offerings being promoted by U.P. to U.P. graduates within U.P.'s vicinity. By way of comparison, India, which is the world leader in outsourcing, has already made the shift from BPO development to Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) development. KPO are processes that demand advanced knowledge, analytical interpretation and technical skills as opposed to BPO work which typically entail standardized routine processes and data entry kind of work or sales or order fulfillment work. Given the high level of capabilities of the typical U.P. graduate, there is clearly a mismatch between the types of jobs being offered and the students' capabilities.

In other developments:

The search process for a new U.P. President to replace U.P. President Emerlinda Roman may be said to have already begun by way of Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo's recent submission to the BOR for  a proposal to initiate the search process for a new UP President as President Roman's term ends on February 2011. During the 2004 search, the BOR members were already provided relevant documents related to the search process as early as February 2004, Regent Taguiwalo said in an email message to the Diliman Diary. Based on the search process in 2004, the search for a new U.P. President should commence this June and the election should be in November, she added.

(Chanda Shahani is the editor of the Diliman Diary. He has a master's in entrepreneurship (M.E.) from the Asian Institute of Management and is a former business page reporter from the Philippine STAR).