UST alumni group chief resigns

The president of the University of Santo Tomas Alumni Association Inc. resigned last night over the controversy generated by the USTAAI’s government service award to Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson.

The USTAAI, however, will not rescind the award given last Sunday to Uson, a columnist of The STAR.

In a statement issued after an emergency meeting last night, the UST AAI’s board said its president, Henry Tenedero, took full responsibility for the controversy.

The board also apologized to the university’s rector, officials, alumni, students and the general public.

The association said the recognition conferred upon the recipients of the Thomasian Alumni in Government Service award was upon its initiative and had nothing to do with the university and its alumni relations director, Cherry Tanodra.

Tanodra, an assistant professor, has reportedly resigned.

Meanwhile, another alumnus yesterday returned the Thomasian in Government Service award given to him by the UST AAI last Sunday.

Rep. Tom Villarin of party-list group Akbayan said he returned the award “because I refuse to buy into their justification for awarding Mocha Uson that one only needed to be a graduate of our alma mater and be part of government.”

“If that were true, then all Thomasian civil servants should have also been given such an award,” Villarin said.

Villarin criticized the association’s choice of Uson as one of its awardees and its criteria for the award.

“It is shameful and unpleasant for someone to accept the award when one’s actions go against the core values of Thomasians, ‘truth in charity’ as well as public accountability and transparency in government. Uson is a purveyor of fake news. She has corrupted the values that Thomasians hold dear,” he said.

Villarin said awards should distinguish role models from the rest based on merit.

“Awards should stand for something, but if they can mean anything, then they are nothing,” he said.

Earlier, former health chief Carmencita Reodica returned her outstanding Thomasian alumni award she received in 1997.

“Out of personal conviction and many others more deserving, I am returning this award for it has lost its meaning and significance,” she said in a Facebook post.