By Ellson Quismorio
A Mindanao lawmaker has endorsed Prospero “Popoy” de Vera as the replacement of Dr. Patricia Licuanan as Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson following her resignation two weeks ago.
CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III (RTVM / MANILA BULLETIN)
Iligan City lone district Rep. Frederick Siao is specifically endorsing to President Duterte De Vera's appointment as "full-term CHED chairperson." The head of the Commission has a term of four years.
De Vera, currently a CHED commissioner, has a term until September 2020.
“With just about six months left in the unexpired term of Dr. Patricia Licuanan, appointing a new CHED chairman at this time would have been impractical,” said Siao, who is a vice chairman of the House committee on tourism.
Siao described De Vera as “a team player and would be the right individual to steer the CHED through the transition and beyond.”
It can be recalled that Licuanan tendered her resignation earlier this month amid two controversies--first, her alleged excessive travels abroad and the nonrelease of the living allowances of nearly 10,000 K-12 Transition Scholars.
Licuanan was on her second four-year term as CHED chairperson, having first assumed the position in 2010. In 2014, then-president Benigno S. Aquino III reappointed her.
Siao even went as far as endorsing a new commissioner in case De Vera is tapped to fill in Licuanan's shoes.
“To fill the vacancy that would be created when De Vera becomes CHED chairman, I am endorsing, from the Iligan Institute of Technology of the Mindanao State University, Dr. Mark Anthony Torres, who is a biologist, specializing in evolutionary biology and genetics,” Siao said.
The Iligan solon noted that Dr. Torres “is also a peace advocate and does research on the peace negotiations, the MILF, the MNLF and indigenous peoples of Mindanao."
He said that Torres is also the youngest recipient of the Metrobank Outstanding Teacher award.