Ex-SLSU dean found guilty of graft for tapping own nursing review center

The Sandiganbayan has found a former dean of the Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) in Lucban, Quezon guilty of graft for tapping her own review center to conduct review classes for students about to take the nursing licensure exams in 2012.

In a decision dated January 25, the Seventh Division sentenced former College of Allied Medicine (COAM) dean Susana Ariola Salvacion to 12 to 16 years' imprisonment.

The prosecution accused Salvacion of violating Section 3(e) and 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act when Nurmed Hyperlearn Review and Tutorial Services conducted a 21-day review class at the COAM auditorium despite the lack of authority to use the venue and a memorandum of agreement with SLSU administration.

Salvacion testified that the auditorium and its facilities were "open to all," saying a letter-request and the rental payment must be settled beforehand at the Business Affairs Office.

However, the Sandiganbayan said Salvacion clearly favored Nurmed since the review center only complied with the submission of a letter-request, one of the four requirements needed for the use of the auditorium, for the use of the facilities. 

"Her act of not complying with what are those required in the Manual shows her obvious display of abuse of authority, if not bad faith. As a dean of a State University and a public officer at that, she is expected to adhere to established rules and therefore must not exhibit any act, which can surely put her in a bad light," it said.

The Sandiganbayan said that Nurmed's paid rental for the use of the auditorium does not extinguish Salvacion's liability. It concluded that her influence as dean caused the irregular use of the facility even though the review classes were supposedly done in good faith.

"While she meant well when she said that 'she just wanted to help the students pass the examination,' that is why she established Nurmed, her words alone cannot be taken as an expression of good faith, because in the first place, her action of not going through the proper procedure for the rental of the said auditorium is suspect," the Sandiganbayan said.

Associate Justice Georgina Hidalgo penned the decision, with the concurrence of Associate Justices Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta and Zaldy Trespses. — BM, GMA News