The House Committee on Higher and Technical Education has approved a resolution commending the University of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle University (DLSU) for retaining their respective spots in the latest world university rankings released by London-based Times Higher Education (THE).
Endorsed for plenary adoption during a virtual hearing Thursday was House Resolution (HR) No. 1195 authored by Assistant Majority Leader and Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito-Castelo.
Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, panel chairman, said he found it "appropriate" for the House to cite UP and DLSU in connection with their achievements in the THE rankings. The measure was approved without much discussion.
UP, the country's only national university, first entered the list in 2016 at 800+ rank, later climbing to 601st-800th in 2017, and 501st-600th in 2018.
"UP is still among the top 500 higher education institutions in the world, retaining its place in the 401st-500th bracket that it first achieved in 2019, according to rankings released on Sept. 2, 2020," the Castelo resolution read.
"On the other hand, De La Salle University, which first entered the list in 2018 at 801st-1,000th spot, retained its 1,000+ spot in 2019," it added.
The THE rankings are based on 13 performance indicators grouped into five areas: Teaching (learning environment), research (volume, income, and reputation), citations (research influence), industry income (knowledge transfer), and international outlook (staff, students, and research).
Also during the hearing, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Director Lily Freida Milla said there are now 14 universities in the latest QS University ranking released Wednesday, double the previous number of local entrants.
Go identified the 14 entrants as UP, Ateneo de Manila University, DLSU, University of Sto. Tomas, University of San Carlos, Ateneo de Davao University, Mapua University, Silliman University, Mindanao State University, Adamson University, Central Luzon State University, Central Mindanao State University, Central Philippines University, and Xavier University.
Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez moved for the motu proprio creation of a resolution to commend the 14 universities, similar in nature to the Castelo measure. He said all those present in the hearing would serve as the authors to the new resolution.
The panel chairman also approved this action.