Friday, August 29, 2008 Angeles named new Ched chief
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed fellow Pampangeño and Angeles University Foundation (AUF) chancellor Emmanuel Angeles as the new chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
"Mr. Angeles is a veteran educator as owner of Angeles University Foundation," said deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo who added that Angeles's appointment papers were signed August 20.
Angeles would replace Romulo Neri, who moved from being the acting chairman of Ched to the Social Security Systems where he was appointed administrator.
Higher Education commissioner Nona Ricaforte was named to replace Neri temporarily.
Angeles, a lawyer by profession, was named by Arroyo in May 2005 as a member of the Consultative Commission (Con-con) that reviewed and proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
He had been previously appointed by Arroyo as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Clark Development Corporation, a post he served from March 13, 2001 to March 15, 2005.
During the same period, he held the positions of president and CEO of Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) from May 13, 2001 to June 2002; and later as director of the North Luzon Railways Corporation (NorthRail) from April 24, 2002 to March 15, 2005 in a concurrent capacity.
Angeles was also appointed by former President Joseph Estrada as a member of the Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR), a body tasked to study the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, in September 1999.
He had also served as president and chairman of the board of the AUF Medical Center, immediate past president of the Central Luzon Association of Higher Education Institutions, immediate past national president and chairman of the board of governors of the Private Schools Athletics Association, and immediate past president and ex-officio board member of the Association of Universities in Asia and the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Ched officials and educators group welcomed Angeles's appointment.
The present officer-in-charge (OIC) of the agency, Nona Ricafort, said: "It is providential that my prayers were answered because being chairperson or even OIC is a gargantuous responsibility. This relieves me from pressures and delivery of politicians' expectations, etc. President Arroyo's decision was premised on the fact that my husband was appointed president of Clark."
Other Ched officials, including William Medrano and Julito Vitriolo, said they are ready to work with Angeles.
The Philippine Association of Private Schools Colleges and Universities (Papscu) also welcomed Angeles to his new post.
"It is a welcome move for us and we know he (Angeles) will serve Ched very well considering his experiences as an educator. He knew precisely the challenges and the actions that have to be taken in order to arrest the decline in education in our country," said Papscu director and Central Luzon College of Science and Technology president Dr. Renato Legaspi.
He said Angeles guided AUF into what is now one of the country's respected academic institutions offering various courses.
Dr. Lauro Tacbas, president of the Philippine Association of Schools Universities and Colleges (Pascu), commented the same when asked about the appointment of Angeles as new Ched chairman. (JMR/AH/Sunnex)
