CHED chair denies irregularity in UP dean selection

MANILA, Philippines — Amid controversy hounding the selection of an official of the University of the Philippines, Commission on Higher Education chairman J. Prospero de Vera III has denied allegations that there were irregularities in the decision made by UP’s top policy-making body.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel on Tuesday, De Vera, who also chairs the 11-member UP Board of Regents (BOR), denied irregularities in the appointment of Joel Tan-Torres as the new dean of the university’s Virata School of Business (VSB).

De Vera said Tan-Torres, who is not a faculty member of the VSB, topped the certified public accountant board exams and has served in the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Professional Regulation Commission.

“The college awarded him outstanding alumni, but (he is) not good enough to be their dean? That’s hypocritical,” De Vera said.

The UP BOR had earlier drawn criticism for alleged interference in the selection of deans of some colleges at UP Diliman, including the VSB.

De Vera, however, said the rules prescribe that the decision on the appointment of deans is vested in the board and not the chancellor or the search committee.