THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Dr. Jun Ynares
The ongoing process of selecting the next president of the University of the Philippines has caught the attention of many. There have been observations that the process seems to taking place in full public view, with the six nominees who passed the initial screening being subjected to scrutiny in both traditional and social media.
Some observers say some of the nominees’ sound like they are “on the campaign trail.” They have been talking about what they would do if named UP president. One AM radio station even asked them what they plan to accomplish within their “first 100 days in office.” One nominee’s son has reportedly been asking friends to “like” and “share” the social media post about his father’s candidacy for this prestigious position in the state university.
“We are not voting for the UP president, so why is the public being involved in this process,” a colleague of ours said, somewhat in jest.
A few days ago, the UP Board of Regents released the shortlist of nominees who passed the initial screening.
The list is composed of highly-respected figures in the country’s academic community.
Here they are in alphabetical order: Dr. Patrick Alain T. Azanza; Atty. Salvador B. Belaro, Jr.; Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez; Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo; Dr. Benito M. Pacheco; and Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr.
The UP Board of Regents also announced that it will be holding a public forum this coming Friday. In that gathering, the board said the nominees will present their programs and plans, as well as answer questions from the UP constituency, many of who will be watching the event online.
It is interesting to note that the UP president is not elected by the UP community, nor by the public at large.
It is the UP Board of Regents which elects the UP president.
Despite that, the present board is going out of its way to present the nominees to the public in general, and to the UP community in particular. This is laudable and we salute the UP Board of Regents for this approach which speaks highly of its practice of the value of transparency and democracy.
We also laud the approach because, at the end of the day, every Filipino is an indirect stakeholder in the affairs of the state university. The primary reason is that state universities and colleges (SUCs) are fully funded by the national government. Of the 450-plus SUCs in the country today, UP gets the biggest chunk of the amount set aside by Congress to fund their operations.
Government, on the other hand, sources these funds primarily from taxes which Filipinos pay.
We have other interests in the selection of the UP president. The stake of the rest of the nation in this process is defined by Republic Act 9500. This law, passed in 2007, strengthened the stature and role of UP as our “national university.”
Based on that law, UP is expected to perform its “unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development.” The performance of that mandate impacts the lives of people and organizations outside of the confines of the state university. For example, its mandate “to serve as a research university” may benefit us all.
As a “research university,” it is expected to conduct “basic and applied research and development, and to promote research in various colleges and universities.” It is also mandated to “disseminate” the knowledge gained from such research. It is also mandated to lead as a “public service university.” The law provides that UP is expected to perform “various forms of community, public, and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, private sector and civil society.”
Just like local governments and other organizations, the state university’s ability to perform its mandate is significantly influenced by the quality of its leadership. That is why we are interested in the outcome of the selection process.
The UP Board of Regents is performing an excellent job in managing this process. The public which technically funds this venerable institution has been kept informed and abreast of the developments. The board is mandated to conduct consultations and it have established a solid foundation for it. By presenting the nominees and their plans to the university’s constituencies, the board has ensured that it will receive sound feedback on the nominees and on their plans.
In many ways, the transparent approach has stoked our interest and has made us aware that we must be part of the success of the process and of the state university itself.
We congratulate the UP Board of Regents for a job well done on the selection process.
Whoever is chosen to succeed current UP president Danilo Concepcion, the next UP president shall be in our prayers. We will him all the best and express the hope that his six-year fixed term at the helm of the state university shall be a successful one.
(For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.)