Duterte says no to UP honorary degree

President Duterte on Wednesday declined the offer of the University of the Philippines (UP) to confer him the Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa.

“With due respect [to] University of the Philippines, I do not accept even when I was mayor. As a matter of personal and official policy, I do not accept awards,” he told reporters in Bohol after a security briefing there.

“I simply decline. Kasi hindi ako tumtanggap (Because I’m not accepting) , ever since,” he added.

On Tuesday, Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the UP Board of Regents (BOR), the university’s highest policy making body, has offered Duterte the honorary doctor of laws degree as part of the university’s tradition.

The offer enraged UP students, faculty and alumni.

Many expressed their disappointment on the decision, saying Duterte must instead be held accountable for the thousands of deaths under his administration’s bloody crackdown on drugs.