BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Did the West Visayas State University-College of Law (WVSU-COL) err in conferring an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos?
The decision to award her the honorary degree has sparked controversy anew with a citizen rights advocate raising questions on the validity of such conferment.
Lawyer Josiah David Quiring, co-convenor of Citizens Rights Watch Network, said the award violates Section 2 (a) and Section 5 of the LEB Memorandum Order No. 9 Series of 2017.
Section 2 of the LEB Memo Order 9 (Authority to Confer) states that the “legal education institution must have existed as a higher education institution for at least 25 years” before the approval of the award.
Likewise, Section 5 of the LEB Memo Order 9, Series of 2017 states that the “members of the faculty and staff of the awarding legal education institution are disqualified from being nominated for a Doctor of Laws honoris causa.”
The WVSU COL conferred the honorary Doctor of Laws degree on the First Lady during the university’s commencement exercises on June 8, 2024.
In a statement, LEB Chairperson Jason Barlis said WVSU COL has complied with Sec. 2(a) of LEB Memorandum Order No.9 Series of 2017, in that it has existed as a higher education institution for more than 25 years, specifically for 38 years.
“It must be stressed that the 25-year requirement refers to the existence of the higher education institution and not the legal education institution,” said Barlis.
LEB also said the college has complied with Section 5 of the same memo since the prohibition applies only to incumbent administrators, members of the faculty, and staff of the awarding institution.
“Per the submission of the West Visayas State University to the LEB, the contract of service of Atty. Araneta-Marcos has already expired at the time of her nomination and conferment. Hence, at that time, she was no longer an incumbent faculty member,” LEB said.
LEB concurred the First Lady is “deserving of the award in recognition of her dedication to public service and advocacy for legal education.”
Panay News also obtained the Legal Education Board Memorandum Order No. 25, Series of 2022 issued on Aug. 8, 2022, which provides guidelines on deregulations of the conferment of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree (LLD).
LEB is a policy-making body mandated by law to oversee the legal education system and supervise the accredited legal education institutions in the Philippines.
In the memorandum, LEB cited Republic Act No. 7662, otherwise known as the Legal Education Reform Act of 1993, as the basis for the deregulation of conferment of the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) Degrees in the Philippines.
Essentially, the memo superseded the LEB Memo Order 9, Series of 2017 on the award of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to a certain individual.
Section 1 of LEB Memo Order No. 25 (Academic Freedom) states that “all duly accredited Legal Education Institutions (LEI) may grant honorary degrees by their academic freedom, judiciously exercised to eminent individuals of integrity who have distinguished themselves in the field of law, justice, administration, governance, leadership, or public service through outstanding work and/or exemplary service to society.”
“The honorary degree may be conferred posthumously to the honoree that may or may not be an alumnus of the conferring institution,” read the memo signed by lawyer Anna Marie Melanie Trinidad, the LEB chairperson.
The latest LEB memo states that it applies to all Legal Education Institutions in the Philippines, including those that are granted autonomous and deregulated status.
The honorary degree on the First Lady was awarded by Commission on Higher Education Chairman Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera, Legal Education Board (LEB) Chairman Jason Barlis, WVSU President Joselito Villaruz and WVSU-COL Dean Pauline Grace Alfuente.
“I am deeply humbled to receive this award. Needless to say, I should try my best to live up to your expectations today and in the years to come,” the first lady said during the COL Commencement Exercises on June 8.
In 2022, the WVSU students vehemently opposed the hiring of the First Lady as a faculty member at the College of Law.
WVSU enrollees condemned her selection as a Criminal Law professor, saying she did not deserve another platform to deodorize the bloody and abusive Marcos family legacy.
“As students who value and live by the words ‘Excellence is a tradition,’ we are firm in our resistance towards the College of Law’s acceptance of Lisa Araneta-Marcos’ application as part-time faculty of the College to teach Criminal Law 1,” the office of the university’s student regent said in a statement./PN
