Since I was 37 years old, I have always been nominated as a candidate at UP. Perhaps because I used to be a UP Student Council Chairman and was a straight Presidential Scholar for my undergrad, master’s and PhD and also because I am a Distinguished UP Alumnus Awardee and a Lingkod Bayan Awardee. So the various sectors and stakeholders maybe think I am qualified for the post.
At UP, unlike here in CATSU, one does not apply to become a UP President. You have to be nominated and that nomination is screened by the Board of Regents. Very stringent ang process sa UP. So far, after having been considered so many times before, hindi naman ako napipili pa sa UP.
So I guess CATSU folks should not worry about anything. At any rate, in the remote possibility that I am chosen, alam nyo ako since day one, without announcing it to anyone, as a leader, I know I will not be in the position forever.
So part palagi ng aking gawain as a leader of any organization I join is to train my possible replacements who share the same vision, values and skills I have. So far, I have trained three potential successors inside CATSU. So, CATSU will always be in good hands.
But that said, I think we should just wait and see what happens. Let us cross the bridge when we get there. For now, I am more focused on the various projects I have for CATSU, including the bigger budget for our beloved University.
(Aside from Dr. Azanza, the other official candidates for the UP Presidency are former 1-Edukasyon party-list representative Salvador Belaro Jr., former faculty regent Angelo Jimenez, UP Diliman chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, former UP Diliman vice chancellor for research and development Benito Pacheco and former UP Los Baños chancellor Fernando Sanchez Jr.
Only six nominations were received by the university during the nomination period that ended on Oct. 14. Azanza and the other nominees will attend a public forum on Nov. 11 at Cine Adarna at the UP Diliman campus to present their plans and programs and to respond to questions from the UP constituency.
The next UP president will be appointed by the 11-member BOR, headed by Commission on Higher Education chairman J. Prospero de Vera III and co-chaired by outgoing president Danilo Concepcion, whose six-year term will end on Feb. 9, 2023.
Based on Republic Act 9500 or the UP Charter of 2008, the UP president serves as the university’s chief academic officer, head of the faculty and chief executive officer.)