OPPOSITION to the appointment of lawyer Edgardo Carlo Vistan as chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City continued to mount as senior faculty and professors of the state-run school circulated an open letter questioning his qualifications to occupy the post.
At least 41 professors emeriti, as well as incumbent and former officials of the UP system signed the position paper.
“We are disheartened at the outcome and the manner by which the Board of Regents (BOR) decided on the chancellorship of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) in utter disregard of the overwhelming sentiments and choice of the UP community,” the letter stated.
The note came a week after Vistan, an assistant professor who joined UP Diliman in 2015 and had served two years as dean of the College of Law, was appointed to the top academic and administrative position in UP Diliman by the 11-man BOR in an executive session and through alleged secret balloting.
Vistan’s closest rival was Dr. Fidel Nemenzo who, as chancellor from 2020-202ti led UP Diliman through the pandemic and was perceived as the frontrunner, having gotten the endorsements of colleges and members of the community. On April 1, four regents, including the student, faculty, and staff representatives, publicly declared their support for Nemenzo.
The signatories also compared the academic and administrative qualifications of the three nominees, which included Dr. Victor Paz of the School of Archaeology, and opined that the BOR chose “the most junior candidate with the least experience, preparation, and credentials to lead a community of accomplished academics and researchers across 27 colleges and disciplines.”
“This selection simply defies logic and goes against the standards of academic meritocracy—which we judge ourselves by—as well as elementary standards of good governance, and basic principles of organizational management,” their letter read.
The signatories also noted the emerging pattern of choosing UP’s leadership: “The fact that the three most senior academic officials of our University—the Chancellor, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and your good self—do not hold PhDs will not go unnoticed in the international community, especially in this age of ever-rising academic standards. This is not to say that you cannot be up to doing your jobs; but it will be a challenge to dispel the impression that academic achievements come secondary to other factors in UP,” the letter added.
Given the questions raised by the election, the signatories urged UP president Angelo Jimenez to release the full report of the search committee, which he formed on 26 January, and to reveal his vote as well as to convince the other regents to do the same in the spirit of transparency and democratic governance.
The signatories reminded Jimenez, who was appointed UP president on February 10, that he was “entrusted to stand by, if not promote, the interests of constituent universities as well as defend the integrity and autonomy of the University against vested interests, undue external pressure, and outside influence.”
The BOR elects the chancellors and deans of the 17 constituent universities of the UP System. Besides Jimenez and the sectoral regents who are selected by their respective constituencies, the other regents: the Commission on Higher Education chair who is concurrently the BOR chair; the heads of the Senate and House and Representative education committees; and, three members appointed by Malacañang.