Barely two weeks after she was named the fourth president of Talisay City College, Dr. Ester Velasquez told the board of trustees she was not accepting her appointment.
Velasquez is the second person to reject the appointment.
She told Cebu Daily News she had no plan to accept the position because she is already school director of the Cebu Cherish School in Cebu City.
The TCC charter requires the president to work full time. She said she was asked by former Rep. Eduardo Gullas to head the Talisay college since she was one of those instrumental in setting it up when she was still president of Cebu Normal University. Velasquez said she was ready to “help” or “coach” whoever is chosen as TCC’s president but not fill the position.
Talisay City Mayor Johnny V. De los Reyes, who chairs the board of trustees, will convene the trustees this afternoon to tackle this development.
Several students who were set to undergo internship have not been given approval. Over 200 students and their parents held a rally in front of the Talisay City Hall yesterday, appealing to City Hall for a solution. The board appointed Velasquez during a meeting last June 27, when the mayor was not around.
In an interview, the mayor said he learned of Velasquez’s decision from board secretary Woodrow Denuyo. Velasquez said she would send a formal letter about her decision after she recovers from the flu.
Councilor Richard Francis Aznar, chairman of the City Council committee on education, said the board will act on the issue immediately.
The issue of the TCC presidency has dragged on for months. Richel Bacaltos was OIC president and refused to step down when the mayor replaced him with Dr. Paulus Cañete.
The tug-of-war spawned other problems for the school, until the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) had to intervene.
Last month, Dr. Sol Galleon who is also from CNU was appointed president by the board only to resign immediately. CHEd Regional Director Freddie Bernal took over for a while but had to step down on orders of his superiors.
Yesterday morning, 230 students and their parents held a prayer rally in front of Talisay City Hall to protest the school’s limbo. They carried placards, unhappy with Denuyo, the Department of Education (DepEd) Division Superintendent.
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