At a press conference, Jake Vicera, a third year student of the Southwestern University College of Medicine, says he and his batchmates just want to finish school, and not get caught in the middle of the Aznar family feud that has led to the ongoing controversy. The Commission on Higher Education issued a a cease-and-desist order against the school. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
For medical intern Israel Sanchez, the future is bleak.
He graduated from the Southwestern University College of Medicine (SWU-CM) last summer and looked forward to taking the medical board examination after completing his one-year post-graduate internship next year.
But he can’t take the board exam unless the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issues a special order (SO) recognizing his school records.
A corporate conflict over the recognition of two schools, the SWU College of Medicine in Urgello Street and the Matias H. Aznar Memorial College of Medicine (MHAM) has left over 500 students in limbo.
“We need our SO numbers for our transcript of records (TOR) to become legal and admissible for whatever medical board exams we are going to take here and abroad,” said Sanchez.
Several SWU medical students spoke up at a press conference yesterday to call for help, saying the conflict has caused them anxiety and sleepless nights. Morale is low. Some students were teary-eyed as the discussions went on.
They are among 550 students still enrolled at the medical college in Urgello Street, a drop from the estimated 700 enrollees last month.
Ten representatives of Sanchez’s batch, who went to CHED on July 21, were told by the staff that they could not issue an SO to any graduate of SWU-CM.
Not being able to take the board exam means the time, effort and resources that the students and their parents invested in the last four years would be wasted, Sanchez said.
His foreign batchmates returned to their home countries after graduating last summer, but could not practice medicine for the same reason.
The future is also uncertain for the remaining students of SWU-CM, which has been issued a cease-and-desist order by CHED for lack of authority to operate a medical college.
The commission recognizes only the SWU-MHAM.
CRY FOR HELP
Arittira Ganden, a student from Malaysia, said she couldn’t renew her visa. CHED has refused to issue a certification that would support her application for an extension.
The penalties that she and other foreign students have to pay for having expired visas are piling up, she said.
“Just because we’re foreigners doesn’t mean we’re rich. Our parents still have to work hard to send us to this school,” said Suma Gurung, who came from London to study in SWU.
Henry Ganub, who is graduating in April next year, lamented that their opportunities for hospital training have been limited to Sacred Heart Hospital and Cebu City Medical Center.
Without the CHED recognition of their academic papers, they can’t do internship in the government-run Vicente Sotto Medical Center.
Linus Ettete, another foreign student, said they couldn’t just transfer to another school due to money problems. Some students subsist on loans while others are on a tight budget.
SWU-CM is more affordable than other medical schools in Cebu.
NO JOKE
Studying medicine is no joke.
Middle-aged student Jonathan Casio, who has two adult children studying at SWU-CM, said his family is “experiencing great anxiety over this issue.”
Based on the SWU website, tuition at the medical college is over P100,000 a year. The fee is higher for foreign students.
On top of this, medical students have to buy text books that cost as high as P3,000 each, spend for uniforms, and purchase necessary medical equipment. Students in boarding houses have to pay monthly rent.
Gurung from London said the safest recourse is to go back to first year in another medical school that is listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED).
She said SWU is no longer listed in the directory, which is drawn up by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medicine Education and Research.
CONFLICT
Jake Vicera, a third-year student, said he and other students just want to finish medical school at SWU.
“We are not interested in the family feud,” he said, referring to the Aznar family dispute that has led to the split between SWU and MHAM, its previous medical college managing arm.
The CHED regional office filed an interpleader about two weeks ago to ask the court to determine which entity owns the Government Recognition that was issued to Southwestern College on March 9, 1954.
Southwestern College, which was founded by Don Matias H. Aznar, has since become the SWU. Conglomerate Phinma Corp. acquired controlling interest of SWU last May.
Vicera said CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan has told Phinma president Ramon del Rosario, Jr. that the commission was working on resolving the conflict.
Del Rosario has written Licuanan to seek assistance on student concerns, such as the issuance of special orders for graduates and international students, visa extensions for the foreign students, and the removal of the school from the US list of schools for medical examination, Vicera said.
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