MANILA, Philippines–Ousted Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) president Artemio Tuquero received a reprieve on Monday after a judge issued a status quo ante order, allowing him to retain his post and exercise his functions.
The order from presiding Judge Liwliwa S. Hidalgo-Bucu of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 will remain in effect until she issues a new one.
The court decision came after a four-hour-long summary hearing with respondent PLM board chair Amado Valdez agreeing that Tuquero would retain his previous post for now.
Valdez was appointed acting PLM president through a resolution issued by the board last week, leading to Tuquero’s ouster. Tuquero, however, filed a petition for a temporary restraining order, which was granted by the court.
In Monday’s hearing, both parties also agreed to put on hold the effectivity of some of the appointments they made, namely, that of Oliver Pandile, whom Tuquero named as executive vice president, and Oliver Santa Ana, who was recommended by Valdez for the post of vice president for academic affairs.
In his appearance before the court, Tuquero said that the board resolution for his ouster was invalid and denied him of due process.
He cited Republic Act No. 4196, or the University Charter of PLM which, according to him, guaranteed him “a six-year term, renewable for another six years unless sooner removed for incapacity, incompetence, dishonesty and/or conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude.”
Tuquero added that the special board meeting on July 8, which led to the issuance of the resolution, was “illegal, irregular and unjustifiable.”
“I was surprised at the board resolution. There was no formal complaint [filed against me]. And because of that [resolution], there is now confusion in PLM,” said the 82-year-old Tuquero, a former justice secretary.
For his part, Valdez said that the resolution was issued “because the board had to act on our April 7 board meeting” in which Tuquero had requested the seven-member board “to defer action on the question of whether [his presidency should be by] election or appointment.” “We gave him time,” he told the court.
Earlier, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) invalidated Tuquero’s appointment after it found out that he was not appointed to the post by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.
Under its charter, the PLM president should be appointed by the Manila mayor, a decision that should be approved by the city council. The appointee should then be elected to the post by the university’s Board of Regents.
In a letter issued to Valdez and the CSC, Estrada confirmed that he had yet to formally appoint someone to the post. He added that he recognized Valdez’s designation as acting president to avoid disrupting PLM operations.
The court resumes its hearing Wednesday with Valdez presenting their witnesses and evidence. “We want to give the court time to evaluate the evidence. We don’t want her (Judge Hidalgo-Bucu) to decide without her hearing our side,” he said.