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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider UST clarifies new DA Chief not an 'alumnus'

UST clarifies new DA Chief not an 'alumnus'

Published Nov 14, 2023 11:24 am

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) clarified that the newly appointed Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr. was not an alumnus, and did not pursue any undergraduate studies in the university. 

UST Logo.jpg
Photo from UST

The clarification was released through The Varsitarian, the official publication of UST, on Nov. 12 after confirmations from both Laurel's chief of staff Alvin Balagbag, and the UST Office of the Registrar, asserting that Laurel did not attend nor complete any undergraduate studies at UST.

It said that UST's records revealed that Laurel's name does not appear among the university's graduates or students.

The university acknowledged that there had been inaccurate reports, including articles by The Varsitarian and the University of the Philippines Visayas (UP-Visayas), which claimed Laurel was a UST computer science graduate.

The Varsitarian also said this misinformation was an error in an official document submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2016 by Pure Energy Holdings Corp., where Laurel served as a director and shareholder.

It said the document stated that Laurel "holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Santo Tomas."

In addition, Laurel himself also stated that he did not attend UST.

"Let me clear the air about my educational background, given news reports that claim I am an alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas or any other institution of higher learning," Laurel said. "That is not true."

"I never finished my education because I became a father at 19. I needed to work to support my eldest child," he added.

Laurel expressed his desire to have continued his undergraduate studies but was constrained by work and family responsibilities.

"Like many others, I dreamed of wearing a toga and receiving a diploma. However, that was not destined to be," he added.

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/13/da-chief-sets-record-straight-i-never-finished-my-education

 

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