N.B. – Apologies for cross-posting. This press release also serves as an invitation for you to attend the press conference on Valentine’s Day. Please help disseminate this information. Media coverage is humbly requested.

Photograph courtesy of Arkibong Bayan

Out of love for country and the truth, concerned faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP) are scheduled to hold a press conference on February 14 (Thursday), 10 a.m. on the ground floor of Vinzons Hall at UP Diliman, Quezon City.

They are demanding the immediate resignation of Romulo Neri as chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). According to a petition being circulated at UP, Neri “has lost all moral high ground required of a person entrusted with reviving the country’s decaying higher education system,” adding that it is unacceptable for him, “as head of CHED, (to continue) to chair the…Board of Regents, (UP’s) highest policy making body.”

As of February 13, 4:00 p.m., 60 UP faculty members from the Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Baguio, Visayas and Mindanao campuses have signed the online version of the petition located at URL http://www.petitiononline.com/gmabye2/petition.html. Among the signatories are National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera and former UP President Francisco Nemenzo, both professor emeriti.

The petition for Neri’s resignation started last February 11.

The concerned UP faculty members are set to present the “Piso para kay Lozada, Piso para sa Katotohanan!” campaign in the UP campus to help witness Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, Jr. in his crusade for the truth.

Among the highlights of the press conference on February 14 is the symbolic signing of concerned UP faculty members on a “Neri Resign” tarpaulin. UP faculty members who want to attend the press conference are requested to bring their sablay.