JEDDAH, 29 May 2005 — A group of parents, teachers and staff now want the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) to be placed under the control of the Philippine Consulate to prevent an outright closure of the troubled school.

In a meeting with an official sent to the Kingdom from Jeddah to look into the IPSJ crisis, some of the parents and teachers said the oldest Philippine overseas school is now in its death throes and has no chance of getting revived if the current governing board remains in power.

“To save the school and to restore the dignity of our school, we ask that the school board be disbanded and the consul general immediately takes over,” pleaded parent Bernie Villorente.

Teacher Aisha Macabanding said she and her colleagues were also for a consulate takeover. “We, the high school teachers, join the parents in demanding the dissolution of the board... We want the consul general to take over the school.”

Macabanding said the school was failing because the interest of the individual members of the board was being made to prevail over the interest of the school community.

Executive Director Jose Molano, head of the Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas, flew to Jeddah on Wednesday from Manila upon the request of IPSJ parents alarmed by the school’s condition.

With just a week before the opening of schoolyear 2005-2006, there were only about 130 students enrolled at the school, which had an average of 1,100 students over the past five years.

Parents said many students have moved to other Philippine schools in Jeddah because of the instability at IPSJ.

Different Solution

Edriss Tamano, a member of the board, objected to the dissolution of the board and offered a different solution.

“Dissolving the elected board is not a solution. What we need to do is remove the members of the board that are involved in all the anomalies. We need to remove Mr. (Mardy) Dimalotang and his cohort, Mr. Briones. Once they are removed from the board, everything can be managed,” he said.

Dimalotang is the board chairman and Briones is vice chair for finance. The two are being blamed for mismanaging the school fund, which led to the refusal of teachers to work last February.

Arab News tried to contact Dimalotang but he has not returned the calls.

Last week, he urged parents to support IPSJ by enrolling their children in the school. “Let’s help IPSJ because it’s ours. Let’s not help destroy what belongs to us,” Dimalotang said in a phone interview with Arab News.

He urged parents not to believe in rumors, assuring them that school will open on June 4, 2005, as scheduled.

Credibility Needed

Villorente said, however, that credibility is what the school needs and that the board does not have that.

“There are still many parents who are waiting for a positive development at IPSJ. If the consulate takes over, they might enroll their students here,” Villorente said.

Consul General Pendosina Lomondot said the consulate was willing to take drastic steps to turn the ailing school around if Manila gives it the full authority and support.

During the meeting at the consulate, Director Molano expressed reservations over the proposed takeover by the consul general, apparently wary over what former Consul General Kadatuan P. Usop did when he took over the school management.

In late 2002, Usop helped a group of parents in seizing the school from the elected board chaired by Efren Rodriguez, which was accused of mismanagement, overstaying and other alleged irregularities.

After forcing Rodriguez and his group out, Usop and the parents led by Fidel Hernandez turned against each other over the division of spoils. Usop was eventually sacked from his post in mid-2003 by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) amid pressures from lawmakers in Manila, acting on the request of the disgruntled parents.

Usop Stigma

Lomondot said he was aware of the “stigma of Usop” hanging over IPSJ. He assured Molano and the parents that his intentions were clear and clean: to rescue the school and restore order.

“It pains me that we are being accused of inciting the parents and teachers to create violence in the school. They also say that the here comes the consul general again, maybe what happened with Kadatuan Usop may happen again,” he said.

He said he could not be suspected of eyeing any school fund since the IPSj has no money to speak of and is in debt.

“First of all, don’t think that we will take over for the money. The school has no money. As of April 2005, the school has only 522.20 riyals in its hand. Do you think your consul general will take interest on that?" he argued.

Records obtained by Arab News showed that school has cash on hand of only 522.40 riyals as of April 17, against its accounts payable amounting to SR651,443.50, including SR250,000 for the rental of the school’s 12 villas.

Lomondot further said, “The extreme remedy to save the International Philippine School in Jeddah is for everybody to offer self-sacrifice, on the part of the parents, the faculty and staff, and most especially on the part of the members and officers of the board of trustees in order for the Ad Hoc Committee to come in without any distraction.”

A parent pointed out that the IPSJ was doing well while under the management of consulate officials some years ago.

Founded in 1982, the IPSJ was the first overseas school to be put up by the FA to teach the Philippine educational curriculum. It used to be under the suvpervision of the Philippine ambassador in Riyadh, who usualy deputized the consul general in Jeddah to oversee the school's affairs.

Trouble started after the community took over and when boards of trustees were elected, the parent argued.

On Molano’s concern that a consulate takeover may not sit well with policies of the Saudi Ministry of Education, Lomondot said there is a precedent to this. He cited the takeover of the Pakistani school in Jeddah by the consul general.

Vice Consul Jose Jacob seconded Lomondot’s argument and said the consulate needs a mandate from the CFO and the Saudi MOE. Molano has yet to make a decision.