THREE professors are vying for the presidency of the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), all vowing to deal with the problems posed by the coming K to 12 transition.
The candidates are Dr. George Lim of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery who is running for reelection, and from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Rene Luis Tadle and Jove Jim Aguas.
The K to 12 transition is turning out to be a major issue in the campaign, as college teaching loads would be reduced beginning next year. High school students will be spending two more years in senior high school or grades 11 and 12, instead of graduating to college. Because of this, UST will offer only 13 programs to freshmen next year.
The UST administration is proposing several measures to cushion the impact, among them tapping displaced professors to teach in the soon-to-be-opened UST Senior High School (SHS). Professors will also have the option of doing office work, taking research loads or going on sabbatical or study leaves.
The three presidential candidates agree that there must be a system of distributing teaching loads as well as protecting salary rates and tenure.
Tadle said getting assigned to senior high school would not guarantee that a faculty member's salary would be the same as in college.
“The salary rates of faculty members must be maintained because in the first place it is just a [transition] period,” he said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
Tadle maintained that UST could afford to maintain salary rates given its financial standing.
Aguas said UST's proposals need to be validated.
“Drastically, maaapektuhan [ang teaching load]. If before we’ve been accepting 10,000 students, now [it will be] just around 5,000. Pagdating doon sa distribution ng load, kailangan doon transparent, gaano kalaki ‘yung paghahati-hatian,” said Aguas.
Lim said professors’ salaries should not be cut during the K to 12 transition.
“Pagdating doon sa financial [aspect], retained ‘yung salary scale regardless kung saan siya mapunta; regardless kung mapunta siya sa kolehiyo o sa SHS kasi itong mga tenured na ito, nagbigay na ng service sa University,” Lim said in an interview.
Thirty-five other candidates are eyeing other positions in the faculty union.
Running under Lim’s Kabalikat are: Patrick Ellis Go for executive vice president, Abegail Nierras for internal vice president, Pablito Marasigan Jr. for external vice president, Susan Petilla for secretary general;
James Platon for vice president for labor eductation and research, Aurora Cristina Bermudez for vice president for legal affairs, Jonathan Cabero for vice president for grievance and complaints, Joyce Tan for treasurer, Marie Anne Lourdes Guanzon for auditor, and Arlene de Leon for public relations officer.
Kabalikat’s candidates for the USTFU board of directors are: Claudine Say, James Mark Nidea, Frederick Roy Manubay, George Chao, Beatriz Ribleza, Benedicto Ducat, and Revenendo Vargas.
Running under Tadle’s Lead 4 Change Alliance are: Elvis Llarena for excecutive vice president, Edilberto Gonzaga for internal vice president, John Vincent Igancio for external vice president, Danielito Jimenez for vice president for leagal affairs, Jose Ngo for vice president for grievance and complaints, Rouena Villarama for secretary genaral, Elizabeth Kapulong for public relations officer, Almanzor Macmod for auditor, and Rebecca Adri for sergeant at arms.
Running for the board of directors under Tadle are: Noel Asiones, Mary Rose Coronel, Michelle Desierto, Norman Garcia, Emerito Gonzales, Archie Resos Ramil Sasi, and Vercie Subaldo.
USTFU will hold its elections on Sept. 28. Clarence I. Hormachuelos
