CHEd appointments should pass CA confirmation

Recent revelations calling the Commission on Higher Education, or CHEd, the center of corruption smack of presidential displeasure. Our indiscretion disclosed before the world body the shameful reason why no Philippine university landed in the Top 100 in Times Higher Education’s (THE) 2024 Asia University Rankings.

How can our universities be in the top 100 when our educators prefer to engage in making money rather than teaching?

It is about time we reviewed the policy for selecting and appointing individuals to the lofty positions of chairman and commissioners of CHEd.

There are proposals by readers of this column to subject nominees to the process of confirmation of the Commission on Appointments (CA).

The process will promote accountability in the selection of individuals who will undertake the serious task of leading and regulating the higher education sector.

The confirmation process will serve as a check and balance within the government, ensuring that appointments to key positions are scrutinized and aligned with the public interest.

The CA conducts public hearings where a nominee is invited to answer questions on his or her qualifications, background, and plans in the position. The process is rigorous and members of the CA may raise objections, seek clarification, or support the nomination based on the responses of the nominee and their overall assessment of his or her suitability for the role.

When President Bongbong Marcos learned that no Philippine university landed in the Top 100 in the THE 2024 Asia University Rankings, he noted that much work still needed to be done. “We must pursue a comprehensive and all-encompassing strategy that will turn the trend around,” he said.

The President stressed “our greatest obligation” to the youth “to mold them into critical thinkers, into problem solvers, into visionaries wielding skills that would allow them to succeed in the future.”

A doctorate degree in education and the like, while demonstrating advanced academic achievement, does not automatically guarantee ethical behavior or effective leadership in a CHEd position. While it provides a foundation of knowledge and research skills, it doesn’t necessarily equip an individual with the necessary managerial experience, integrity, and understanding of the broader educational landscape required for such a role.

For indeed there was much to be desired in the quality of service the then chairperson and commissioners of CHEd rendered in supervising the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines in Cagayan de Oro City from 2006 to 2024.

It would take a decade for the present leadership of CHEd to erase the stain of corruption at USTSP and the wrongdoings of Dr. Jo Mark Libre, the CHEd commissioner who was accused of nepotism and grave misconduct and ordered dismissed by the Ombudsman.

Other cases of grave misconduct, neglect in the performance of duty and abuse of authority or oppression were filed against Commissioner Aldrin A. Darilag; while cases of graft and corruption and grave abuse of authority under Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, were filed against former CHEd chairman J. Prospero de Vera III.