Protests Greet Appointment of New PNU President

“Kung ang mga ibang sektor ay nananawagan ng Oust GMA, kami Oust GMA, Oust Barbo na,” (If other sectors are calling for Oust GMA, we are calling for Oust GMA, Oust Barbo.) said Malou Santiago-Agustin, one of the faculty members of the Philippine Normal University (PNU) who question the appointment of Atty. Lutgardo Barbo as president of the university. 

BY ZOFIA LEAL
Bulatlat

“Kung ang mga ibang sektor ay nananawagan ng Oust GMA, kami Oust GMA, Oust Barbo na,” (If other sectors are calling for Oust GMA, we are calling for Oust GMA, Oust Barbo.) said Malou Santiago-Agustin, one of the faculty members of the Philippine Normal University (PNU) who question the appointment of Atty. Lutgardo Barbo as president. 

Last June 19, an acceptability voting was held separately for members of the faculty, employees and students by the Search Committee headed by the Dr. Minda Sutaria on who they think should be the next president of PNU.  The results were forwarded to Faculty Regent Dr. Diony Varela and Student Regent Hon. Mark Olores. A shortlist of the three leading candidates was then passed by the Search Committee to the Board of Regents. 

However, according to the computations of the PNU Faculty Association (PNUFA) headed by the Math Department Chair, Barbo placed last among the five candidates.  The PNUFA based their ranking on the criteria and corresponding weight assignments, and point system. It said that the results submitted by the Search Committee deviated from generally accepted principles of statistics. 

The criteria are as follows:

                Profile Appraisal (PA)         25%                        maximum points- 100

                Public Presentation (PP)     20%                        maximum points- 100

                Simulation Exercises (SE)    20%                        scale of 1-10

                Panel Interview (PI)             35%                        scale of 1-10 

The following table shows the points and ranking per candidate which served as basis of the computation of the Search Committee and the PNUFA. 

However, the final ranking arrived at by the Search Committee and the PNUFA, as shown by the following table, were different.  

The Search Committee and the PNUFA used different methods in arriving at the final ranking.  The Search Committee added the rank garnered by each particular candidate on the different criteria before computing the average.  The PNUFA computed the weighted scores garnered by each candidate on the different criteria to arrive at the final ranking. 

Based on the results submitted by the Search Committee, the Board of Regents (BOR),  composed by one representative each from the administration, students, faculty, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), alumni, Senate and House of Representatives, conducted an election. After the second balloting, a 6-2 vote in favor of Barbo was reached last June 24.

When queried by the faculty on the criteria used by the BOR in voting for the PNU president, Faculty Regent Dr. Diony Varela replied that they did not have any. She said they voted separately according to their own judgment. 

Barbo’s inclusion in the list of candidates is also being questioned since he did not pass the qualifications.  As a level four state university, the president of PNU must hold a doctorate degree and a minimum of five years of administrative and managerial experience in teacher education or related fields.  Barbo, said the PNUFA, does not have both qualifications. 

The Board of Regents cites the Higher Education Modernization Act or HEMA to justify their choice.  It states that the governing board of the educational institution has the power to set the qualifications.  The BOR said that the requirement they set was that the candidate “preferably has a doctorate degree” and “preferably had a minimum of five years of administrative and managerial experience in teacher education or related fields”. 

The faculty is also questioning the composition of the BOR because only three of the eight positions are held by members of the university. 

The PNU administration also held a signature campaign that shows that the university community approves of Barbo’s presidency.  The faculty countered by explaining that there was undue influence in the signature campaign since it is the Officer-in-Charge of the Departments that did the rounds. 

Suppressing protests

The Office of Student Affairs and Student Services (OSASS), filed cases against protesting students.     

Robert Medrano, Chairperson of Anakbayan- PNU (Sons and Daughters of the People-PNU), said that he was informed by the OSASS that a case was being filed against them for staging a rally without a permit and for committing acts of vandalism. He was later asked to make a letter of apology. Since there is no formal letter of complaint, Medrano refused.  The case would still be deliberated upon in the following days.         

Despite the moves of the administration to silence the protests, the students, faculty and employees are undaunted.  They created an alliance between the three sectors named PNU Standard (Stakeholders Asserting Democratic Rights and Due Process).     

The recent events caused a division within the administrative employees association, which affected their working relationship.  According to a source, not all employees are aware of the issue and some are only going with the flow.  Not all employees have their own stand regarding the issue because they are either afraid or will do anything the administration asks.      

The PNUFA said that they became more united and militant because of the issue. Although some of their members were questioned by the administration for participating in the daily 12:00n.n. noise barrage and snake rally, they are still firm on their stand. 

Medrano said that the student population is divided.  He said that some students may have been influenced by professors who disapprove of the protest actions.  However, for Medrano and other student organizations that are part of the PNU Standard, they are willing to pursue the struggle. 

Even the alumni are taking part in the issue.  According to Arvie Sebarillo, a 2005 graduate, the alumni are also questioning the appointment of Barbo because he did not pass the qualifications. “Nagtataka din siya kung bakit siya nanalo,” (Even Barbo was surprised that he won) said Sebarillo, recalling his recent conversation with Barbo.  Some alumni are planning to hold a meeting with Barbo to ask him to decline the position for a graceful exit.   

The protesting sectors made it clear that they are not against Barbo as a person.  They said that they are fighting to uphold the democratic rights of the stakeholders and for due process to be followed.  They are also calling for the junking of the HEMA.   

The recent events at PNU serve as a wake-up call for its students, employees and faculty to revive the militant tradition of the university that was thought to be lost.  It also serves as a lesson to the administration as well as to others prone to repressive measures that the more they try to fan the fire of struggle, the more it keeps on burning. Bulatlat

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