UP Regents’ secretary says Chiz Escudero didn’t move for Duterte to get honorary doctorate

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero didn't move for the University of the Philippines Board of Regents (BOR) to initiate the conferment of an honorary doctorate to President Rodrigo Duterte, the BOR secretary has said.

A summary of the BOR’s April 5 meeting released by the university stated that the conferment of the honorary degree was "upon motion of Senator Regent Escudero seconded by Regents Farolan and Jimenez."

In a statement, BOR Secretary Atty. Roberto M.J. Lara said that upon review of the taped recording of the meeting, he found that the summary was incorrect.

"It appears that Sen. Escudero did not make any motion to confer honorary degree upon certain proposed conferees, and the statement to that effect as appears in the Summary is incorrect," Lara said.

"I deeply regret this error for which I take full responsibility. I apologize profusly to Regent Escudero for any unintended effect this may have created, and to all for any inconvenience caused," he added.

Escudero, an alumnus of UP, is a member of the BOR in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

He earlier denied having initiated the moves to offer the honorary degree to Duterte.

“I did not move but I did not object when it was proposed given that it is a UP tradition that Philippine heads of state (including the Chief Justice and Senate President) are offered honorary degrees when they are invited to be a commencement speaker (which is also a UP tradition),” Escudero said.

UP has since revised the Summary of Resolutions, removing Escudero's name.

Duterte declined the honorary doctorate offered by UP. —NB, GMA News