President Marcos has accepted the resignation of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair J. Prospero De Vera III amid the massive Cabinet revamp initiated by the President.
Fresh start? Marcos accepts CHED chair De Vera's resignation
Outgoing CHED Chair J. Prospero De Vera III (John Louie Abrina)
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced the new development in a Palace briefing on Thursday, May 29.
He will be replaced by CHED Commissioner Shirley Agrupis.
While Bersamin said it was not an "official reason," Marcos might have considered to have a "fresh start" in the CHED when he decided to accept De Vera's resignation.
"Well, as far as I know because the thinking of the President is his own thinking. As far as I know, although this is not the official reason, you know si CHED Chair de Vera has been there for two terms na, second term na niya ito. Maybe the President wanted to give a fresh start to the CHEd or maybe there were other reasons," Bersamin said during the briefing.
The Palace official also cited that leading the CHED always comes under pressure from within, which he thought could be among the reasons. But he was quick to admit that he was just guessing.
"Hindi natin madi-discount that may factor diyan iyong mga intramurals doon sa CHED (We cannot discount that intramurals within the CHED could be a factor). I do not know, I cannot particularize because I’m just generally aware of those particulars," he said.
"A collegial body like the CHED always comes under such pressure from within but I’m not going to say that that was the reason, I’m just guessing. That played a lot in the acceptance of the resignation," he added.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary reiterated that the President's move to revamp the Cabinet was not a purge but it was a rigorous evaluation of government performance across the entire bureaucracy.
"We are grateful for the service of those who are stepping down as most transition is being implemented to ensure continuity and stability in their respective institutions. This is not a purge, let me remind you of that," Bersamin said.