UP: No resolution declaring Duterte persona non grata

The University of the Philippines has disowned a ‘resolution” (right) that declared presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte persona non grata. The university denied that its Board of Regents issued such a pronouncement. INQUIRER FILE / UP WEBSITE SCREENGRAB

In a statement issued on Sunday, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Prospero De Vera slammed the spread of a Facebook post which alleged that the UP’s Board of Regents, the university’s highest policy-making body, has issued a resolution against Duterte.

“In very clear and in no uncertain terms, the university would like to make it known that the Board of Regents has not made any such issuance. There has been no resolution of such nature passed by the Board,” De Vera said.

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De Vera said that the post is a “malicious attempt of the individual, or group behind the social media user, to drag the name of the University of the Philippines into partisan political conflict.”

“As the national university, UP is non-partisan and does not support nor hold adversarial views against any candidate,” he added.

The university has already launched a probe on the matter and hinted that it would pursue legal action against the source of the post.

The fake “Board of Regents Resolution No. 103, Series of 2016” read: “Whereas, Mr. Rodrigo R. Duterte has shown gross incompetence and lack of leadership gross incompetence and lack of leadership in controlling/pacifying his followers who have resorted to bullying one of our students through social media…”

“Resolved as it is hereby resolved that Mr. Rodrido R. Duterte be declared persona non grata of the entire university of the Philippines system.” it said.

Some supporters of the mayor hit Stephen Villena, a UP Los Baños student on social media, claiming that the student has disrespected Duterte by the way he asked questions in a forum last March 11.

Villena and his family received death threats.

In an open letter, the student said that he was only asking the mayor questions and that he did not intend to disrespect the mayor.

On his part, Duterte said he saw nothing wrong with how Villena asked him questions.

“Disrespected? No. I was once a student. Gano’n talaga ang mga student. You don’t expect these students to be all prim and proper,” Duterte said.

He asked his supporters to practice civility and refrain from attacking his critics.

Duterte was one of the four candidates who participated in the second presidential debate held at UP Cebu on Sunday.