The Oblation in front of Quezon Hall in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman has called on its highest decision-making body to finally set concrete standards in the way it chooses its top officials to dispel concerns that outside influences were tainting UP’s governance.
On Tuesday, the UP Diliman Council — composed of the university’s faculty and deans — asked the Board of Regents (BOR) to, among others, return to open sessions and balloting and to do away with executive sessions in the appointment of UP’s top officials, like directors, deans, chancellors, and presidents.
“Unclear bases of decisions also give rise to suspicions of conflict of interest, horse-trading, backdoor negotiations and the unfortunate impression that political connections carry inordinate weight in the appointments,” they said.
All appointment-related recommendations “at every stage” must be made public, including voting records and an explanation of votes, the council said.