Merry-Go-Round: Floro L. Mercene
WITH a student population of 52,000, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa is the biggest state university in the country. UP with an enrolment of 41,000 comes second in size.
But PUP is also No. 1 in problems by any reckoning – dogged by a lack of leadership, widespread dissatisfaction and discontent among its students, faculty members, and non-academic personnel.
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The brilliant Rep. Edcel C. Lagman (1st Dist., Albay) views PUP as an "academic wasteland." Together with 72 other militant and concerned colleagues, Lagman has courteously but firmly told PUP officials to mend their ways or their budget will be rejected.
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Carlito S. Puno is chairman of the PUP Board of Regents by reason of his being CHED chairman, vice chairman is Dr. Dante Guevarra, officerin-charge of PUP.
The other regents are Senator Juan Flavier, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Rep. Cynthia Villar, chair of the House Committee on Higher Education, the NEDA secretary, the regional director of DoST, the president of the PUP Faculty Association, the president of the PUP Alumni, and the president of the PUP Student Council.
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Senator Flavier, Rep. Villar, the NEDA secretary, and the regional director of DoST are each represented by persons whose membership in the board is considered by 10, repeat 10, constitutional law professors as illegal.
The law professor considers the representatives to have enjoyed an unlawful delegation of power.
Even the vice chairmanship of Guevarra is in serious question because he is not the president of PUP – he is only an OIC.
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This means that the present PUP board of regents has only four "unquestionable or clean" members and five representatives who, according to the l0 constitutional law experts, can only listen, take notes, and report to their principals. They cannot participate since they are not members of the board.
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The problem is grim. These representatives receive perks and funds of at least R5,000. I was informed they are also representatives in some 10 to 20 universities and colleges
There is something shadowy in the PUP board of regents. It has been in search of a president for four years. While looking for a president, the board rotates the three PUP vice presidents as OIC to perform the function of the president for a period of six months.
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I bleed for PUP. My wife spent 22 years of her best years as a professor there. When I went to the campus last week upon the request of some congressmen, what I saw validated their gravest fears.
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Instead of coming up with half-baked proposals, the opposition should explore legally acceptable, peaceful options of carrying out sweeping reforms not only in terms of changing the national leadership to suit their political agenda but also to fix the flawed political system and put economic growth on fast track.
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Twenty years after democratic space was restored at EDSA l, the political reform that was set in place has yet to translate into concrete benefits for the overwhelming majority of Filipinos who are poor.
This despite the changes in personalities in 1986, when leaders were replaced wholesale – from Malacañang down to the cities and municipalities.
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