The local government of Manila clarified on Tuesday that the University of Manila (UM) is a private institution and is not operated by the city government, stressing that UM is distinct from the city-run Universidad de Manila (UdM) and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).

In a statement, the local government said that PLM and UdM are the only two universities under the Manila local government’s administration.

The clarification followed the Legal Education Board’s announcement of the closure of UM’s College of Law, citing its “dismal performance” in bar examinations, failure to meet curriculum and academic standards, and deficiencies in facilities and resources.

The local government also expressed concern that political opponents might exploit the situation to falsely portray UM as a city-run institution and attribute the cited failures to her administration.