Trouble in CHED

Ten Regional Directors and three Central Office Directors of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) signed and sent a letter to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last Oct. 2, revealing something about CHED that everyone should know about.

The letter reads: “We, concerned officials of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), strongly request Her Excellency to heed the clamor to restore order in CHED that is now gradually eroding as a result of uncertainty in its leadership and the unbridled ambition of some. There is confusion and a deliberate attempt from a few misguided and misinformed elements to sow dissension and distrust among CHED officials and staff.

“We are aware that Chairman Romulo Nery’s stay at CHED is temporary; hence, we appeal to Her Excellency to put special attention on the appointment of officials in the Commission in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as the Higher Education Act of 1994. Being at the helm of the higher education system, CHED should have leaders ‘who are academicians known for their high degree of professionalism and integrity, who have distinguished themselves as authorities in their chosen fields of learning.’

“We, the CHED Central and Regional Officials, are united in our desire to restore order and stability, preserve integrity, and sustain the moral ascendancy and academic leadership of CHED in the higher education system. We, therefore, strongly urge Her Excellency’s immediate intervention in the situation, considering that deteriorating working relations and conditions could lead to failure in the delivery of a vital public service.”

The letter from the officials accompanied a similar letter from the CHED Employees Association. While the letter of the officials speaks in general terms of the demoralization now pervading CHED, the letter of the employees names names.

Parts of the long letter of the employees read: “For over a year now, we have witnessed and noted on several occasions and instances, one of the Commissioners, Commissioner Nona S. Ricafort, announcing and declaring her imminent appointment as Chairperson of the Commission, knowing fully well that she is not qualified and not deserving of the position in view of the requirements of Section 4, RA 7722, which calls for very high standards of professionalism, academic achievement and unquestioned reputation.

“Your Excellency, we believe that Commissioner Ricafort has not met fully these qualifications, especially the requirement on teaching experience and the possession of distinction and achievement in higher education as an academician of note. A close scrutiny of her curriculum vitae reveals these glaring inadequacies, considering that she is more of a business person, an entrepreneur and a social figure.

“Her entry in the Commission has distressed many officials and employees in view of her condescending and high-handed manner of dealing with people. Her decision-making practices have also upset the established processes in the Commission en banc, such that her indecisiveness and flip-flopping stance in many cases have alienated officials and fellow Commissioners as a result. In one case, she affixed her signature and consent on a decision, only to repudiate the same policy and decision, leaving fellow Commissioners in the cold, as if they did not know what they were doing.

“We manifest that Commissioner Nona S. Ricafort be replaced as Acting Commissioner, she not being qualified under RA 7722 and for harassing her co-officials in CHED.”

The letter of the employees was signed by the officers of the union.

I have written in this column about the lack of qualifications, not of Acting Commissioner Ricafort but of Romulo Neri, who does not have the doctorate required by law of the CHED Chair.

If Arroyo thinks the law on higher education is wrong, she should ask Congress to change the law, but as long as the law says that the CHED Chair should have a doctorate, she should follow the law.

If the leader of the country does not follow the law, why should any of us do? That is the real question.

How can any college teacher tell any college student to follow the law, when the very head of the entire higher education system violates the law?

“WORDS OF THE DAY” (English/Filipino) for next week’s elementary school classes: Nov. 26 Monday: 1. cook/wakas, 2. fold/wisik, 3. space/wakwak, 4. cotton/wagas, 5. screw/witwit, 6. theory/wawa (delta); Nov. 27 Tuesday: 1. need/walo, 2. horn/wagwag, 3. sneeze/wallet, 4. cushion/waglit, 5. powder/wigwig, 6. natural/wagas; Nov. 28 Wednesday: 1. fire/wala, 2. have/wall, 3. sharp/wart, 4. bucket/watch, 5. private/water, 6. electric/warehouse; Nov. 29 Thursday: 1. play/white, 2. from/wika, 3. smash/wish, 4. angry/willow, 5. protest/wine, 6. committee/welga. The numbers after the dates indicate grade level. The dates refer to the official calendar for public elementary schools. For definitions of the words in Filipino, consult UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.