MANILA — The incoming president of the University of the Philippines (UP) is planning to bring what he called "UP-grade" education to other state universities and colleges (SUCs).

The move aims to "close the gap" in learning quality between the country's premier state university and other higher education institutions, Angelo Jimenez, who will assume the UP presidency in February, said Wednesday.

"I want to be able to close the gap in quality of learning or teaching in all the constituent (universities of the) University of the Philippines... Once you close that gap, we will spread UP-grade education towards regional centers of excellence that we shall identify among the state universities and colleges," Jimenez said in a phone interview with ABS-CBN News.

Through this, students will no longer need to enroll in UP to avail of "UP-grade education," he added.

"For me, anomaly 'yong isang university lang 'yong palaging nangunguna. This [plan] for me is more democratic rather than insisting on programs and policies that will increase enrollment in UP," he said.

(For me, it's an anomaly that only one university is always leading. This plan for me is more democratic rather than insisting on programs and policies that will increase enrollment in UP.)

Regulating the number of undergraduate enrollment in UP can help faculty members pursue research, he said.

Jimenez noted that one of UP's missions under its charter is to "to provide leadership in higher education, particularly in teaching."

Improving access to "UP-grade" education is only one of Jimenez's three "major" plans for his six-year term as president. The others are strengthening research, especially in the graduate level, and embracing digital transformation in learning.

Regulating state forces on campus

Jimenez, who is also a labor lawyer, said he is in favor of institutionalizing an agreement that regulates the entry of uniformed personnel inside UP campuses.

"Ang rules of engagement diyan, when it comes to uniformed personnel entering [campuses], [it] shouldn't be based on agreements that can be broken by any party at any given time. To give it more stable basis, it should be legislated," he said.

In 2021, the Department of National Defense (DND) unilaterally terminated a 1989 pact with UP, under which military and police forces must first notify the university administration before conducting operations in any of its campuses.

But Jimenez stressed that a 1992 agreement between UP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which also limits police entry into UP campuses, remains in effect.

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When asked how he plans to defend academic freedom, Jimenez responded: "We simply have to be able to do a very good public diplomacy."

"There has been so much misunderstanding about the role of the university. So I would like to engage in a very strong public diplomacy campaign that explains what UP truly is, the kinds of services that we offer [and] the things that we are doing," he said.

Jimenez said he is also open to communicating with the various sectors of UP.

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In a separate interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel, Jimenez said he already spoke with non-academic personnel following his election.

He added that he is currently in talks with faculty groups and plans to engage with students soon.

UP's highest policy-making body, the Board of Regents (BOR), selected Jimenez as the next UP president last Friday.

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He bested five other nominees, including Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, who was a favorite among the UP community.

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Jimenez twice served in the BOR, first as a student regent in 1992 and regent from 2016 to 2021.

He earned a sociology degree from UP Diliman in 1987 and finished law in 1994. He completed a master's degree in public management at the National University of Singapore.

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