UP exec quits after backlash over insensitive tweet on community pantry death
MANILA, Philippines — Dr. Ted Herbosa has resigned as executive vice president of the University of the Philippines, days after tweeting "I told you so" when an elderly man died while lined up at a community pantry.
UP, in a statement past midnight on Sunday, said Herbosa stepped down due to “personal reasons.”
Herbosa, who is also a medical advisor to the government’s coronavirus task force, was UP's executive vice president from 2017.
The University Code states that the EVP assists the president in implementing educational plans and university policies. The EVP also acts as president should the post be vacant, or if the incumbent is unable to perform the duties.
His tweet, “Death by community pantry. I told you so!”, drew a firestorm on the social media platform over the weekend.
From InterAksyon: ‘It’s lack of aid’: NTF adviser’s ‘death by community pantry’ tweet rebuffed
Users pointed out that the private sector-led initiative, which has sprung up in various areas in the country, is a response to lack of government aid to many affected by the lockdown in ‘NCR Plus’ and by the pandemic in general in other parts of the country.
The senior citizen had lined up at a community pantry that actress Angel Locsin put up in Quezon City, but lost consciousness and was pronounced dead upon reaching the hospital.
UP said in its announcement that university president Danilo Concepcion expressed regret over Herbosa’s resignation. Before that, UP Diliman’s student paper, The Philippine Collegian, reported that Herbosa had filed for a leave of absence.
In accepting Herbosa's resignation, Concepcion spoke of the need for “consistency and harmony in our relationship as administrators, as well as in our public pronouncements, given that we both represent the larger university community, its spirit, and its interests.”
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