Press Release
February 13, 2008
Neri Resign!
Romulo Neri does not deserve to be identified with UP
Statement prepared for the press conference on February 14 (Thursday), 10 a.m., Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City
We, the concerned faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP), are demanding the immediate resignation of Romulo Neri as chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
It is an embarrassment for us that, as chair of CHED, he also sits as chair of the UP Board of Regents. He does not deserve to be identified with higher education institutions like UP. The celebration of the centennial of the UP carries the slogan "UP, Ang Galing Mo!" All we can say to Neri at this point is "Neri, Ang Gulang Mo!"
What lessons, after all, can students and educators get from a CHED chairperson who prefers to "moderate the greed" of those involved in the controversial national broadband network (NBN) project? His decision to be part of the cover-up of the controversial national broadband network (NBN) project does not teach the right values to students. He even had the gall to flaunt his success at "hiding out" to evade the Senate arrest warrant by securing a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court.
According to a petition we are circulating at UP, "He has lost all moral high ground required of a person entrusted with reviving the country's decaying higher education system."
As of February 13 – or only two days after we finalized it – several UP faculty members from the Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Baguio, Visayas and Mindanao campuses have already signed the online version of the petition located at URL http://www.petitiononline.com/gmabye2/petition.html. Among the signatories are National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera and former UP President Francisco Nemenzo, both professor emeriti. More are expected to sign in the following days.
In the days and months to come, we can expect the groundswell of support for a worthy initiative like this, not only from the faculty but also from the entire UP community.
That we are launching it on the occasion of Valentine's Day shows that, in our call for Neri's resignation as chair of CHED, we are professing our love not only for our country, but also for the truth.
For details, please contact Prof. Danilo Arao (UP Department of Journalism) at (0917) 833-ARAO.
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