Facade of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by EVANGELINE VALDERRAMA / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) highest policy-making body have been asked to reveal their bases for electing College of Law Dean Edgardo Vistan as the next chancellor of the state university’s Diliman campus instead of the community’s favored candidate, Fidel Nemenzo.
In an open letter addressed to UP president Angelo Jimenez, 19 professors emeriti and 46 professors and teachers said that they were “disheartened at the outcome and the manner by which the Board of Regents (BOR) decided on the chancellorship [in] utter disregard of the overwhelming sentiments and choice of the UP community.”
“While we acknowledge that the BOR was conceived to be a collegial and democratic body and that its composition is meant to represent all sectors and parties with a stake in UP’s purpose and well-being, we maintain that in matters of academic governance, the community’s preference assumes extraordinary significance and deserves to be respected,” the group said.
They asked that Jimenez “demonstrate transparency and accountability” in the voting processes and make accessible the committee report on the April 3 meeting “so we ourselves may know of the basis of the selection.”
“We also call on you to publicly disclose the bases for your choice of Dean Vistan as chancellor for UP Diliman and to encourage the other regents to do the same,” the group added.
12th chancellor
On April 3, the BOR voted for Vistan to become UP Diliman’s 12th chancellor, denying Nemenzo a second term.
Before the BOR meeting, several colleges, student councils and organizations, workers’ unions, and community organizations on the UP Diliman campus had thrown their support behind the academic-cum-activist, whom they said was their greatest champion amid challenges to UP’s stature as the country’s top university.
The chancellorship is chosen by the 11-member BOR composed of the UP president, the Commission on Higher Education chair, representatives from Congress, Malacañang-appointed regents, and three sectoral regents representing the state university’s faculty, students, and staff.
On April 2, the three sectoral regents, along with a fourth regent, expressed their support for Nemenzo, who would have needed just two more votes to win. After the voting, many were surprised that Vistan had been elected while the BOR refused to disclose the selection process.
Although members of the College of Law defended Vistan, a group of students stormed Quezon Hall where the voting had been held, expressing their outrage that the BOR had once again disregarded the will of the UP community.