Law dean is new UP Diliman chancellor

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Board of Regents (BORs) yesterday voted for UP College of Law dean Edgardo Carlo Vistan II as the new chancellor of the state university’s flagship campus in Diliman, Quezon City.

The election of Vistan as the 12th chancellor of UP Diliman was announced by UP president Angelo Jimenez after the BOR’s closed-door deliberations.

Vistan is the first UP Diliman chancellor to come from the College of Law. He will serve the term for three years.

He bested former UP Diliman chancellor Fidel Nemenzo whose term ended on March 1, and archaeology professor Victor Paz.

Tension erupted outside the UP Quezon Hall as various members of university organizations attempted to enter the building to demand that the voting be made public.

“It is clear that the Board of Regents do not listen to the will of the people. The majority of the campus population – 86 percent of the community – supports Nemenzo,” Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy vice chairman and UP professor Mon Sy said in Filipino.

“But this would not stop us from pushing for a more democratic leadership,” he added.

Several students, faculty and workers’ organizations earlier aired their support for Nemenzo.

Faculty regent Carl Marc Ramota, student regent Siegfred Severino and staff regent Victoria Canape Belegal  expressed their support for Nemenzo’s bid for a second term.

Vistan, who was present at the Quezon Hall yesterday, immediately left the building after the announcement of his election by the BOR.

He told the student publication Philippine Collegian that he is ready to listen to the concerns of the UP community.

“As I accept the chancellorship given by UP Diliman and the Board of Regents, I also accept the criticism of various sectors,” Vistan said.

“I will listen to their concerns and I can’t wait to sit down with them in a dialogue when all of us are calmer,” he added.

A member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity, Vistan was appointed as UP law dean in 2021.

He also heads the UP Law Center and concurrently serves as director of the university’s Office of Legal Aid.