Patricia Licuanan
Several officials of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) on Monday urged President Duterte to designate a temporary head who can serve as his alter ego and represent the agency in the Cabinet.
This developed after CHEd Chair Patricia Licuanan, an appointee of former President Benigno Aquino III, was ordered by the President to desist from attending the Cabinet meetings starting Dec. 5. Licuanan said she would comply with the President’s order but she would continue her work as head of the commission.
In a manifesto, the CHEd officials underscored the importance of being represented in the Cabinet so the commission can craft and implement programs consistent with the new administration’s program development for the higher education sector.
“We affirm that the CHEd is an important agency of the government in charge of the higher education sector and crucial in the development of human resource needed by the country for greater development, and thus, should be continuously represented in the Cabinet by a head who enjoys the trust and confidence of the President … ” they said.
CHEd Executive Director Julito Vitriolo led the officials in signing the document, which was submitted on Monday. Among the signatories were Directors Lily Freida Macabangun-Milla and Romulo Malvar and Legal and Legislative Service chief Septon dela Cruz.
Licuanan, for her part, maintained that the commission can function effectively even without a part in Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet.
She had also referred to Republic Act No. 7722 or the Higher Education Act of 1994, which states that the CHEd chair and four commissioners have a fixed term of four years, without prejudice to one reappointment. Her term ends in 2018.
In calling for the designation of an officer in charge (OIC), the CHEd officials also stated that the commission should be represented in the Cabinet “so that CHEd will again be in the mainstream as are the other education agencies.”
‘In limbo’
In a phone interview on Monday, Vitriolo said the commission will continue to “be in limbo” if Licuanan insisted on holding on to her post.
“How will we know if the programs that we are doing are what the President wants? Where will the instructions come from?” he asked.
“We are requesting that this be resolved by appointing an OIC or a new chief because people are getting demoralized,” said Vitriolo, noting that the President’s order against Licuanan called into question the legitimacy of her authority.
“The President very clearly said she is out of the Cabinet… in effect she has been removed,” Vitriolo said.
On Thursday, he submitted a personal letter to the Office of the President ahead of the manifesto asking for guidance on how CHEd officials and personnel should relate to Licuanan in light “of the circumstances indicating that she no longer has the authority to govern the agency.”