MPSPC head refuses to step down; NBI, PNP probe set: Mt Prov studes vow more protest actions

BONTOC, Mountain Province – At least a thousand students, faculty and residents continued protest rallies here Friday even as the president of the Mountain Province State Polytechnique College said she will reassume her position and will not step down despite resigning as head of the government school on July 1.

MPSPC president Nieves Dacyon told a press conference at the Mandarin Restaurant in Baguio Friday her intention to hold on to her post after the Commission on Higher Education rejected her “irrevocable resignation.”

Dacyon denied allegations of protesting students and faculty. A notarized letter-complaint subscribed by notary public Bartolome F. Macliing of the MPSPC faculty club to Ched commissioner Hadja Luningning Misurez-Umar dated July 4 cited grievances against Dacyon.

These included gross insensitivity to faculty benefits, unfair personnel and flawed work assignments, gross partiality of favoritism, harassment of personnel, utter lack of transparency, unfair procurement and distribution of supplies and office equipment and questionable designation of Dr. Nena Perez as vice president for academic affairs.

But despite these, protesters said a July 6 resolution was signed by Misurez-Umar, who is also presiding officer of the MPSPC board of trustees that Dacyon “was forced to sign a resignation letter on the face of perceived or real grave threats upon her life.”

Others who signed the resolution were Juan T. Dicang for Sen. Edgardo Angara as chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education; Ben Ladilad, regional director of the Department of Science and Technology-Cordillera; Juan B. Ngalob, regional director of National Economic and Development Authority-Cordillera; Sonia Daoas for Rep. Juan Edgardo M. Angara and Norberto Cue as private sector representative.

Among others, the resolution condemned the “incidence of violence and intimidation” on July 1 at the MPSP Bontoc campus and affirmed the presidency of Dacyon.

The resolution also resolved to hasten the investigation of complaints against Dacyon, temporarily transfer the office of the MPSPC president to the Taidan campus, assign a vice president in the Bontoc campus and give security to Dacyon and appropriate funds for this.

This as law enforcement groups were set to probe the controversies after the resolution also requested the Ched to request the National Bureau of Investigation, Commission on Human Rights, Philippine National Police and National Police Commission to “conduct a thorough and appropriate investigation on the July 1 incident.”

A press conference was also held by protesting faculty and students in Baguio at the Ibay’s/Nardas Restaurant along governor Pack Road around 9:30 a.m., an hour after Dacyon’s press conference.

Here, they denounced the Ched for making the resolution without hearing their side.

They said they were at the Ched central office in Manila to air their grievances but they were barred from entering the grounds of the government office even as Dacyon was allegedly giving the impression to Ched officials that they were “barbarians and uncivilized.”

They urged the Ched officials and MPSPC board of trustees to go to Bontoc and see the situation that Mountain Province people are peaceful.

They said they will hold protest actions until such time that the Ched will listen to their complaints and Dacyon will step down.

Dacyon, they said, was not harmed or was forced to sign her resignation letter.

Legal action, they said, was being considered if their grievances would not be heard by the Ched.

The last recourse would be an audience with President Aquino or a letter to him on their complaints.

Protesters who led the press con panel of MPSPC faculty included Dan Evert Sokoken, MPSPC Club vice president; Peter Punaat, instructor on teacher education; Dario guinayen, criminology; Terrence Leif Fangasan, accountancy and Eric Fulangen, education.

Protesting students included Blaine Jenner Bilalat, head of student grievance committee; Randal Kevin Lumiwes, head of criminology student organization and Helmut Aguelba, hotel and restaurant management. – AD