JEDDAH, 7 November — Tensions continued to prevail at the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) yesterday as a group of parents claiming to be the new and legitimate trustees issued orders sacking the school principal and other administration officials.
Ordered replaced by the group led by Fidel Hernandez were the principal, Dr. Reinita Respicio, the treasurer, and several others, according to school staff who called Arab News.
The report could not be immediately confirmed but the Board of Trustees (BOT) chaired by Efren Rodriguez said any action taken by the Hernandez group are invalid anyway.
Rodriguez said a memorandum of Abdullah Al-Howaimel, director-general of education in the Makkah region, yesterday made it clear that the ministry recognizes only the BOT that he (Rodriguez) heads. Howaimel's memorandum to Rodriguez said the claim by Hernandez's group of being the new and legitimate BOT is "false."
"The Education Department in the Makkah region will coordinate to hold the elections to appoint members of the board as early as possible, on the basis of a specific time schedule," said the memorandum, a copy of which was furnished Arab News.
Hernandez's group on Nov. 2 announced that it was taking charge of the school, claiming that the term of the Rodriguez BOT had long expired.
The group claimed that the BOT was also abolished by a parents' assembly on Oct. 11, after which he and six other parents were sworn in as members of the "new" Board by Consul General Kadatuan Usop, the Philippine head of mission in the Western Region, on Oct. 29.
In an earlier statement, however, the director of the MOE's foreign education department, said as far as the ministry is concerned, it recognizes only the Rodriguez Board.
Hernandez's group also had the school's bank account frozen "to prevent any pilferage of funds."
But Rodriguez yesterday said the bank lifted the temporary freeze order after ascertaining from the MOE which group is to be recognized.
"What that means is that the group of Fidel Hernandez should be ignored and appropriate steps are being taken with the proper authorities to stop them from grabbing power," he said in a telephone interview.
