RT is our Only Choice for UP Diliman Chancellor

Honorable Members of the University of the Philippines Board of Regents:

As the university confronts challenges brought about by the current education crisis, we need a chancellor who is committed to upholding UP’s cherished principles of academic excellence, freedom, and integrity. In these trying times, no other nominee for UP Diliman chancellor has the passion and dedication of a true leader than Dean Rolando B. Tolentino of the College of Mass Communications.

It is my honor and my duty to register my absolute support for Dr. Tolentino’s bid for chancellorship. As a junior faculty member who belongs to a vulnerable sector in the university, I strongly believe in Dr. Tolentino’s vision of creating a culture of innovation and democratic governance in UP. His unwavering defense of the junior faculty’s right to tenure against political repression is nothing short of inspiring. And unlike others who only serve a select sector in the university, Dr. Tolentino’s track record as educator and administrator speaks of his commitment to forward the rights, welfare and development of all sectors of the UP community.

Many can attest to Dr. Tolentino’s brilliance and dynamism as a creative writer and cultural critic. His pioneering works have contributed immensely to the development of arts, humanities, and culture as disciplines of social and national importance. Dr. Tolentino’s expertise in such marginalized fields falls in line with his vision of innovation and democratic governance, as this rejects the practice of privileging only those disciplines that have commercial potential, even at the expense of UP’s character as a public institution.

It is worth emphasizing that Dr. Tolentino’s commitments as a progressive educator and cultural worker extends beyond the confines of the university. Over the years, he has led and participated in multisectoral alliances and demonstrations on matters of national interest. Dr. Tolentino is proof that the university’s code of honor and excellence is not enough, if not directed in the service of the people.

For all his experience, passion and integrity, Dr. Rolando Tolentino should be our only choice for UP Diliman chancellor.

Sincerely yours,

Katrina Angela R. Macapagal

Instructor

Department of English and Comparative Literature

College of Arts and Letters

University of the Philippines, Diliman