The selection of the next president of the University of the Philippines (UP) president was set for today but was postponed to December 3 due to the lack of a student representative in the UP board. According to Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) decided unanimously to postpone the selection of the UP President because the new Student Regent (SR) or representative has not yet been officially allowed to assume the post. “Hindi pwedeng walang representative ang 50,000 students ng UP sa pagpili ng bagong presidente ng unibersidad," Taguiwalo said in an interview with GMANews.TV. (It cannot be that 50,000 students would not have a representative in selecting the new president of the university.) However, Taguiwalo said the BOR will push through with the selection of the next UP President on December 3, with or without an SR. Student regent Jaqueline Joy Eroles became the new student regent after the former student representative to the BOR, Cori Alessa Co, received a failing mark last semester. In its November 17 letter to the BOR, the UP Baguio administration noted that Co was "on dismissal status" after receiving a failing mark for her academic load of 3 units last semester. Co was selected as representative through a General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) on April this year. During the GASC, former UP Diliman university student council vice-chairperson Eroles was named as the second nominee to the position. According to the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection, when the student representative post becomes vacant, the second nominee will take over. Problems with student's status However, Eroles has not yet been officially allowed to take her seat in the BOR as student regent because of issues about her status. Eroles completed the requirements of her degree program during academic year 2009-2010 but she did not enrol in the first semester of the current academic year. Eleven contenders There are 11 contenders for the position of UP President:
Consolacion R. Alaras; Patrick Alain T. Azanza; Leonor M. Briones; Esperanza I. Cabral; Sergio S. Cao; Benjamin E. Diokno; Ma. Serena I. Diokno; Raul C. Pangalangan; Alfredo E. Pascual; Virginia A. Teodosio; and Luis Rey Velasco. Highest governing body The UP President acts as the head of the university’s highest governing and policymaking body, the BOR, and serves for a six-year term. The new President shall be selected through a vote by the BOR, which has 11 members: UP President Emerlinda Roman Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Patricia Licuanan Senator Edgardo Angara (head of the Senate Education Committee) Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (head of the House committee on Higher and Technical Education) Student Regent Cori Co Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo Alumni Regent Gladys Tiongco Staff Regent Clodualdo Cabrera Malacanang appointee Reynato Puno Elizabeth Siguion-Reyna Magdaleno Albarracin Jr. Budget cut In an interview with GMANews.TV, Co admitted that she neglected her studies as she took the lead in the university's campaign against the P1.39-billion cut in UP's 2011 budget, the largest slash in UP history. “May naging kakulangan talaga ako sa academics, at dahil sa epekto nito sa pagiging SR ko, humihingi ako ng paumanhin sa mga estudyante ng UP," Co said. (I had deficiencies in academics, and because of the effect of that on my position as SR, I apologize to all UP students." “Sa panahong ganito, na kitang kita ang panggigipit ng estado sa sector ng edukasyon, at ang pag-abandona ng gobyerno sa responsibilidad niya sa kabataan, naging pangunahin sakin ang laban para sa karapatan sa edukasyon. Hindi ko pinagsisisihan yun," she said. (At times like this when it is evident that the state is stifling the education sector and the government is abandoning its responsibility to the youth, it became my priority to fight for education rights. I am not sorry about that.) Co has filed an appeal for reconsideration of her dismissal from UP but pending the resolution of her case, she said, “I will yield to and endorse [Eroles] as the new SR." Eroles said she is working to secure and submit all the necessary requirements to ensure her status as a student of UP. However, she clarified that if she steps up as SR, it will be “without prejudice" to Co’s appeal.– VVP, GMANews.TV 
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