SEVERAL columns ago, I shared the concerns of the families, students and the faculty of the Mindanao State University (MSU) as regards the way lawyer Paisalin Pangandaman Tago has been running the university’s affairs as its president.
And we are glad to learn that during her press briefing last week, May 18, Palace spokesman Claire Castro confirmed that Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chair Shirley Agrupis has been directed to conduct an investigation on the issues we gathered.
As we noted previously, Tago reportedly got the post as MSU president last year through the backing of his cousin, the then-budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman who, prior to her forced resignation last November, was among the most influential in the Marcos Cabinet.
Tago is not from the academe, but a politician, being a deputy speaker of the BARMM parliament and minister of transportation and communications in the regional government. In short, he is a political appointee now in charge of the country’s second oldest and second biggest state university system after the University of the Philippines, courtesy of his cousin.
We would like to assume, of course, that the instruction to investigate Tago came directly from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as education and the welfare of students have always been among his key priorities.
It may be too that wanting to unburden the president, Castro has taken the initiative to get to the bottom of the controversies hounding Secretary Pangandaman’s cousin or, the initiative may have come from Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
Regardless, we are sure that this development is welcome news to all concerned, Tago included. And if this corner somehow played a part in getting the attention of the powers-that-be, then we would not get tired of doing our share of public service.
By way of a summary, here’s the “laundry list” that the CHEd may want Tago to answer:
The many “repairs” done at the Office of the System President at the Administration Building inside the Marawi main campus allegedly ordered by Tago upon his assumption, that sources have described as “hotel-like” and a departure from the building’s original architectural design.
Similar concerns have been raised regarding the MSU Guest House, which serves as his official residence. Accounts described the “extensive upgrades” and “high-end interior modifications” done that were allegedly carried out without any program of works that left the faculty guessing on how much has already been spent.
There is also this rumor of a monthly “payola” in “five figures” connected to a contract between MSU and a private company allegedly involving a relative of Tago.
Tago also allegedly presented as an “MSU-funded initiative” the renovation of the King Faisal Mosque at the Marawi campus — despite the funds having allegedly come from a donation from Malaysia that we warned could have diplomatic repercussions with Malaysia over proper attribution on the funding source.
Lastly, in April and allegedly in compliance with the order of the president for all government agencies to cancel all “unnecessary travel” because of the crisis brought by the ongoing war in the Middle East, Tago denied the issuance of a travel authority (T/A) to the students from the College of Medicine and the College of Agriculture so they could attend two separate student congresses in Metro Manila and Tangub City, Misamis Occidental.
For the students, their attendance cannot be deemed as “unnecessary travel” considering that their participation was part of their course requirement. Aware of its importance, the students and their families themselves raised the money needed for their trip, from plane fares, hotel accommodations, and down to pocket money.
But here is the “twist” that caught everyone’s attention. Around Wednesday last week, two days after the Palace confirmed that Tago was now under investigation, the MSU College of Agriculture Student Council (CASC), “the highest student governing body” of the College of Agriculture, posted a statement that, in the main, absolved him of any responsibility for the canceled trip.
After detailing the “full support” that Tago’s office purportedly gave for their “intended participation” and calling on the media “to correct or remove any reference to the College of Agriculture as among those who allegedly raised concerns regarding the cancellation,” the statement ended up blaming guess who, Castro, President Marcos, or to be more precise, his directive to disallow all “unnecessary travel.”
“While the council and the student delegates may have initially hoped for the trip to proceed, we fully recognize and respect the authority of the Office of the MSU president to assess, decide and act on matters affecting the safety, welfare and official travel of students, especially in accordance with issuances from the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines and the Commission on Higher Education,” part of the statement reads.
Whether the directly affected students were consulted before the statement came out or whether the president is now being blamed for the unintended consequence of his directive and whether he has been made a scapegoat by one of his political appointees may also be among the bigger issues that the CHEd would like to find out.
Abangan!
The CASC student council statement continued: “In this regard, the CASC respectfully dissociates the College of Agriculture from any alleged reports or statements claiming that our college raised concerns against the decision of the Office of the President. No representative of the College of Agriculture Student Council was contacted, interviewed, or consulted by the media outlets that mentioned our college in connection with the matter.
Therefore, we respectfully call on the concerned news and media outlets to correct or remove any reference to the College of Agriculture as among those who allegedly raised concerns regarding the cancellation, as such claim does not reflect the official position of the College of Agriculture Student Council.
The College of Agriculture Student Council remains committed to upholding responsible student leadership, respect for university authority, and the welfare of the students of the College of Agriculture.”
