Tension grips Lanao Sur school over rally ‘dispersal’

Tension gripped Maigo town in Lanao del Norte after police and unidentified armed men arrived at the Mindanao State University campus there following a rally by students and faculty members. Sun-Star Cagayan de Oro reported Tuesday that students and faculty at the MSU Maigo School of Arts and Trade campus were demanding the ouster of the school chancellor. Maigo Town Mayor Rafael Rizalda said the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police did not coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial command. Rizalda added that a relative of Ringia allegedly accompanied the armed police personnel. The mayor requested MSU president Ricardo de Leon to impose preventive suspension on Ringia and Yolanda Monsanto, school administrator. He said he had requested an investigation and even a congressional hearing on the issue three years ago when Ringia first took over as school chancellor but nothing had been done to improve the school’s deteriorating condition. On the other hand, school chancellor Dr. Mangadapa Ringia, whose ouster was sought in the rally, did not give any interview to the media. Sun-Star cited an unconfirmed report that there were unidentified armed men to appease the students and faculty who are asking for the ouster of Ringia. Witnesses said that students and some members of the faculty became terrified and scaled the campus fences to get out of the school. The students and faculty staged a rally calling for the ouster of Ringia after they complained of deteriorating quality of education of the school. In their petition sent to de Leon and Malacañang, they claimed the 25 computer sets and one printer cannot serve the needs of all college students including those taking computer technology. The students also noted they were made to pay at least P1,500 for computer laboratory fee. Also, they said a supposed English teacher teaches the subject in Filipino. Parents and teachers said they have to enroll their sons or daughters to other schools in nearby cities because the quality of education of their school had deteriorated. De Leon has formed a fact-finding committee to look into the incident and recommend solutions. - GMANews.Tv