This interview with UP presidential nominee Fidel R. Nemenzo was conducted by the Collegian editorial board on November 18. This has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Philippine Collegian (PC): Why did you accept the nomination to become the 22nd university president?
Nemenzo: I love this university. After I became chancellor, I had the chance to visit other UP units. Hindi naman lahat ng disiplina ay narito sa Diliman. I started seeing the importance of the university. That’s why some people suggested running for president. Malaking challenge siya, pero you need to start thinking about the university it’s no longer about local issues and local communities.
PC: Speaking of communities, how will you protect them, especially as UP is keen on expanding its physical campuses?
Nemenzo: Kung ako tatanungin, I’m not fond of buildings. Kapag ang isang area ay hindi ginagamit, hindi ito necessarily nakatiwangwang. It still has its value. Ideally, sana wala na masyadong bagong buildings. Kapag kailangan ng physical places, siguro explore yung pataas. Ang kailangan is housing. Matindi yung pangangailangan for it.
Kung may mga communities man, I’m a believer in site relocation. Pwede naman makipag-usap, gamitin ang areas sa UP para gumawa ng onsite relocation in cooperation with the local government units. Communities here are part of the community. Marami nagrereklamo na may informal settlers. Growing up, these communities were part of my education. Yun ang pinanggagalingan ko. As an administrator, it will always be a balancing act.
PC: How will you establish a “smart UP?” What are the steps that you would take to make blended learning inclusive for other students?
Nemenzo: Definitely, di na tayo babalik sa full face-to-face kasi andyan ang development of technologies. Pero, kailangan nating bumalik sa face-to-face kasi naroon ang social experience ng education, and I miss that. Without that, it’s not the university I know. Basically, face-to-face should be the default, but we have learned enough about the use of new technologies. So if there are situations that require us to shift, we can do this.
PC: What courses should be held remotely?
Nemenzo: Marami sa graduate courses, gusto nila ay remote. But it’s different when you interact with people especially sa undergraduate level. Sa undergraduate, nothing beats onsite education. And, definitely, ang mga courses na nangangailangan ng fieldwork at laboratories dapat bumalik sa campus.
Tingin ko, dapat talaga ibalik natin ang social interactive component of education. Hindi kasi ako naniniwalang ang education sa UP ay classroom lang. It’s about being exposed to all ideas in the campus and meeting people in all walks of life.
PC: Let’s move to your plan of an “agile UP.” In your vision paper, you plan on promoting academic freedom, inclusivity and openness. How do you exactly plan to defend academic freedom?
Nemenzo: Even before I was chancellor, I was already speaking in defense of academic freedom and against red-tagging. Ngayong chancellor ako, nagtayo ako ng multisectoral committee na ang focus ay security for our students, faculty, and staff. We also provided legal assistance for those who were experiencing harassment and red-tagging. And if I were president, I would direct the chancellors to honor the commitment of the university to academic freedom.
PC: Specifically, how will you combat red-tagging, should you become the next UP president?
Nemenzo: In addition to a security committee, we will continue releasing statements. Mahalaga ang statements kasi, in a sense meron kang panghahawakan and it gives courage to the community that this is the position of the administration. It is very important for the university administration to say na hindi namin kayo pababayaan.
PC: You also wrote in your vision paper that you want to create a nurturing and enabling environment for the UP community. How?
Nemenzo: You can only do your work well when the university is looking after your well-being. If you have work relationships that are affirmed rather than constricted. Sa faculty, halimbawa, it’s not only providing incentives for research, but it’s also creating a culture where you take care of each other. For our staff, it’s also looking after their needs. For students, you tell me. I can’t promise that I can give everything, but we will try giving as many benefits as allowed by law.
For students, you tell me. Naniniwala ako people are able to do their work well if they are in an environment that encourages them. It is not for the administration to define what is enabling for students. Itanong dapat sa kanila ano ang kailangan nila. I will not have a monopoly of good ideas. A lot of the ideas should come from the constituents.
PC: In terms of academics, you were the only nominee to mention the general education (GE) program. Can we expect a review and reform of the GE program under your term?
Nemenzo: We had big debates on GEs. I really wanted more GE units. I still think we should not further reduce our GE units. This is the time we strengthen yung “tatak UP” education. This means developing the capacity for critical thinking. We say critical thinking hindi siya yung criticism but basically, out of the box thinking, reading in between the lines, learning to discern the truth and learning to see the connection between things and learning to think about the impact of our actions. Ngayon kasi may push for STEM, at totoo namang mahalaga yan, but we need people who are well-versed in their disciplines who know how their actions impact on society.
PC: You have been an academic all your life. Some say that UP tends to “inbreed” among its ranks of administrators. What can you say to that?
Nemenzo: This is an academic community. Why is it a disadvantage? We will not be running a corporation here. That requires a different set of practices. I’m not saying an academy should be run by academics but that’s a different type of leadership. But right now, what I offer is academic leadership. A leadership that’s an academic who knows the programs, culture, importance of the life of the mind, and the defense of the life of the mind and academic freedom.
PC: Among the five other nominees, who should be the next UP president?
Nemenzo: This might not be popular with students but I will go for Fernando Sanchez Jr. But I really hope that he has learned his lessons from six years of chancellorship and that he will have to be more sensitive to the situation of his constituents, especially the students. ●
