From left: Krenz Yaba, governor of SWU Medicine Student Body; Dr. Peter S. Aznar, dean of College of Medicine; Dr. Chito B. Salazar, SWU chairman of the board; Atty. Godwin Manginsay, SWU chief legal counsel and Dr. Angel P. Canene, SWU registrar, hold a press conference announcing the Office of the President’s sty order on the executiion of the resolutions of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) against the school’s College of Medicine. (CDN PHOTO/ CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
After over a year of legal battles, the Southwestern University College of Medicine (SWU-CM) was given a reprieve.
The Office of the President has issued an order staying the execution of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) resolutions, including the cease and desist order (CDO) against the College of Medicine.
“This stay order means that even if assumed that the CHED CDO is directed against SWU itself, the said CDO cannot be implemented and all actions continuing to implement the same will be illegal and contemptuous of the Office of the President,” SWU board chairman Dr. Chito Salazar said in a press conference yesterday.
CHED reportedly asked the Office of the President yesterday to reconsider the stay order because it has no jurisdiction over the case. CHED officials could not be reached for comment.
Krenz Yaba, governor of the Medicine Student Body of SWU, said they were very thankful and happy with the development.
¨We are now going back on track with our studies,¨ he said.
SPARE THE STUDENTS
Salazar appealed to CHED to allow the students to continue studying free of prejudice, anxiety and other forms of harassment, as they are “victims of conflicts not of their own doing.”
“What we’ve been saying is that let the court decide on the case. But while the court is making a decision, let us not allow the students to be prejudiced,” he said.
“We appealed to the office of the chairman of CHED to let the students continue their studies at least, while we are settling this case,” he added.
On August 3, CHED also issued a resolution that addressed the concerns of three specific groups of students, namely the SWU College of Medicine graduates of 2015, foreign students in the
College of Medicine, and students who want to take the US medical board examination.
RESOLUTION
In its resolution, the commission said the graduates will be issued special orders, which will allow them to take their medical board exams. The foreign students will also be given their certificates of eligibility, provided that SWU will submit a list of names of the foreign students to CHED.
The students who wanted to take the US medical board exams also were met with difficulty with the school being delisted from the recognized schools in the US.
“But according to CHED, the issuance of an official communication addressed to the United States Board of Medicine notifying the said body that the foreign students included in the official list to be submitted by CHED Region 7 office, have been issued SO to graduate and therefore are qualified to take the US medical board exam,¨ Salazar said.
However, he added that the school has yet to receive word from CHED regarding the concerns of the foreign students, after submitting the list “almost immediately after they got the resolution.”
No special orders have been issued for the 23 College of Medicine graduates, who want to take the medical board exams in August 2016.
¨So even before the stay order, CHED already issued a resolution saying, let us not prejudice these groups of students. They already issued something in favor of the students. We´re just waiting for actions regarding this. We´ve done our part,¨ Salazar said.
DEFICIENCIES
He said CHED previously notified the school that several graduates had some deficiencies in the documents. Last Monday, a third party checked the documents. The school is just waiting for any further actions from CHED.
¨Essentially, what we want to make public to all government officials concerned, agencies and any other parties, as far as we´re concerned, as we´ve always argued, Southwestern’s School of
Medicine has the right and is recognized by government, and we have all the documents to show, to operate a college of medicine. So all of our students are legitimate School of Medicine students,¨ Salazar said.
School executives said over 600 students of the College of Medicine were negatively affected in some way by the controversy.
The Philippine Medical Colleges (PMC) has agreed to show no prejudice to the students in line with internship and hospital rotations.
Dr. Peter Aznar, current dean of medicine, said they were looking into partnerships with more schools, such as the Manny Pangilinan Group of Hospitals and other private hospitals, such as Chong Hua.
Salazar and Aznar are also looking into renovating the school before the fiscal year ends as a sign of their firm belief in a positive outcome of the controversy and commitment to the school.
“The controversy is not yet over. I cannot promise you that this is over. What we can say is that there is a resolution. But focus on your studies, let us worry about this,” Salazar told the students.