By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Student leaders from Benguet State University in Baguio City have joined growing nationwide opposition to the appointment of Joel Villanueva as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, arguing that the country’s education sector deserves leaders “grounded in integrity and accountability.”
Villanueva assumed the powerful Senate education post on May 18 following a major reshuffle in the chamber’s leadership and committee assignments.
The senator, however, is currently facing complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman involving allegations of graft, malversation, falsification of public documents, and direct bribery linked to the multibillion-peso flood control controversy.
In a statement released May 23, the BSU College of Information Sciences Student Government backed the rejection issued earlier by the National Union of Students of the Philippines, which criticized Villanueva’s appointment and urged universities to demand accountability instead of celebrating his automatic inclusion in governing boards of state universities and colleges.
The student alliance declared that educational institutions should focus on pushing for larger education subsidies and holding public officials accountable rather than issuing congratulatory messages to controversial political figures.
“No congratulations for a senator who steals from our future,” the NUSP said in its earlier statement.
Student leaders argued that Villanueva’s appointment comes at a time when universities continue to struggle with insufficient budgets, rising operational costs, and funding cuts, while ordinary Filipino families grapple with inflation and soaring living expenses.
According to the group, many students are now being forced to choose between staying in school and helping their families survive financially.
The BSU student body also questioned how young Filipinos are expected to look up to public officials as models of integrity when politics, they said, appears increasingly dominated by self-interest and political maneuvering.
Beyond opposing Villanueva’s appointment, the students also urged the Senate to address ongoing national issues with urgency and transparency, including impeachment-related proceedings and calls for greater public accountability.
The group further appealed for stronger government support for farmers struggling against importation, falling farm gate prices, and economic hardship, saying the country’s leaders should prioritize the welfare of ordinary Filipinos over political interests.
ia/xf
