A Filipino chancellor of UP Cebu

BAGUIA

Regionalism should not be a consideration in the search for chancellor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu.

In a sketch, the Philippine Revolution against Spain back at the turn of the 20th century was saddled by factionalism. There was an Emilio Aguinaldo faction. There was an Andres Bonifacio faction. There were people who sided with Antonio Luna. There were intellectuals who thought with Apolinario Mabini.

In UP, movements to overcome the factionalism that plagues the Philippine nation-building project have been afoot. It fills me with hope that the university is not afflicted by the regionalist variant of factionalism that has been the boon of House Speaker Gloria Arroyo (relying on Pampanga), the Marcos family (relying on Ilocos and a good portion of northern Philippines), and the Duterte clan (grounded on the support of the Mindanaoans and a strain of the Bisaya movement).

The university and its constituencies are not spoils to be divided among geography-based allies after they win a war. Leadership is earned by merit. It comes as no surprise that the presidency of the only lawfully declared national university in the Philippines has been given to persons of outstanding qualification regardless of their provenance. Jose Abueva, the 16th president, is from Bohol; Emil Javier, the 17th, is from Laguna; Francisco Nemenzo, the 18th, is from Cebu.

The nominee I am supporting to be the next chancellor of UP Cebu is Prof. Dr. Rolando B. Tolentino. Professor Tolentino is director of the UP Institute for Creative Writing and member of our country’s Movie and Television Review and Classification Board or MTRCB. He was dean of the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication for two terms or six years.

People may say he does not have a UP Cebu DNA in contrast to the incumbent (I shall take up this point later). But a UP Cebu DNA is not even among the list qualifications that ought to be considered in selecting a chancellor as per the memorandum released by UP president Danilo Concepcion. The chancellor should be someone who possesses: (1) commitment to academic freedom and the values and ideals of the university; (2) distinction in the nominee’s chosen field of expertise coupled with a generalist view and appreciation of other disciplines; (3) Filipino citizenship with a strong nationalist commitment; (4) demonstrated observance of the principles of collegiality and the democratic process; (5) unquestionable moral integrity; (6) academic leadership and administrative skill, and (7) willingness to serve as chancellor on a full-time basis and for the full term of three years.

The vision paper of Professor Tolentino shows the expanse of his commitment to academic freedom and the values and ideals of UP. He envisions a UP Cebu that nurtures and enables so that students and scholars will be prepared for life-long learning and for life itself. That thesis statement is broad and deep, grounded on sub-visions of academic excellence, public service, and democratic participation. It is superior to a vision that will seek mere continuity in a trajectory where UP Cebu has so many buildings but only two programs that are centers of excellence.

Professor Tolentino’s superiority in terms of distinction in his field as well as his appreciation of multiple disciplines is unmatched. His expertise covers political economy, film, communication, creative writing, and Philippine Studies. It is hard to begin describing his superior academic accomplishment. Please search for the curriculum vitae of the professor via Google to access 75 pages of research journal, creative work, and public lecture titles (among others) to his name.

Professor Tolentino is a committed nationalist. He has spoken, written and marched as a voice of uplift and compassion for political prisoners, for the lumad, for students, and for the urban poor in various parts of the country. I am touched that he was one of the first academics from UP or elsewhere who released a statement condemning the killing of one of the lawyers of our incarcerated activist alumna, Myles Albasin. He may be based in Diliman, but Professor Tolentino clearly has a national imaginary that transcends localities.

While we speak of transcending localities, it should be put on record that Professor Tolentino is no stranger to UP Cebu. He has been working with us for more than half a decade. He was here in 2013 to give a talk on media spectacles for the Arts and Humanities Cluster. Later, he was the chief resource behind projects like the updating of the UP Cebu BA Communication curriculum. Last month, he helped us draft the curriculum for the MA Communication program. He has also been a resource for the College of Social Sciences on material relating to the teaching of Philippine Institutions like Dr. Jose Rizal.

Attesting to his collegiality and democratic disposition, he has listened to various sectors of UP Cebu from students to faculty to staffers throughout the search process so far, and that bodes well for his leadership in terms of being consultative when he shall be given the chance to lead UP Cebu.

I hope that the Board of Regents stringently applies the criteria for the selection of chancellor when they vote on November 29 because Professor Tolentino exceptionally fulfills each of them to sterling standards beyond any competitor. He should be the next chancellor of UP Cebu.