CHED exec clings to post despite Palace order
Dismissed Commission on Higher Education (CHED) executive director Julito Vitriolo said he will continue to report for work despite a statement from the Malacañang saying the dismissal order against him is still in effect.
“Our position is that this is a judicial matter best resolved by the courts,” Vitriolo told The STAR in a text message yesterday.
He said he will continue to report for work, insisting that the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling that ordered his reinstatement is immediately executory.
In a press conference on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the order of the Office of the Ombudsman remains in effect as the CA order has not yet attained finality.
He re-affirmed an earlier position of deputy executive secretary Menardo Guevarra, who noted that the appellate court ruling must reach finality before it can be implemented.
In response, Vitriolo maintained that the CHED leadership should follow the CA order and reinstate him.
The CA reversed the ombudsman’s earlier dismissal order against Vitriolo, who was meted the penalty for failing to investigate an alleged diploma mill program.
An appeal is currently pending before the appellate court.
Vitriolo’s lawyer Nap Galit said they will file charges in connection with the failure to recognize Vitriolo’s reinstatement.
Earlier, CHED chair Patricia Licuanan said Vitriolo, despite his presence at the commission’s central office in Quezon City, is not the legitimate executive director of the agency and all documents he signed have no legal effect.
She said Karol Mark Yee, who was appointed by President Duterte to the post in July, is the legitimate executive director of the agency.