JEDDAH, 10 August 2003 — Consul General Kadatuan P. Usop has been directed to report to Manila “for consultations” and the man now in charge of the consulate is under orders to reinstate the elected board of trustees of the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ).
Vice Consul Jose Jacob, the officer-in-charge of the consulate, confirmed to Arab News on Friday night that his orders from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila was to restore power to the IPSJ board chaired by Efren Rodriguez.
Jacob said he had met with Rodriguez early Friday to tell him about the turnover in a week’s time. Rodriguez has promised to call for an election of a new board within a month from their reinstatement.
Yesterday morning, Jacob visited the school and gave instructions to the principal and staff regarding the forthcoming turnover.
In the same interview, Jacob dispelled rumors that swept Jeddah on Friday that Usop had been recalled because of his involvement in the IPSJ mess.
“There is no truth to the rumor; he’s not being recalled,” said Jacob. He said Usop was in Manila only for “consultation.”
Rep. Faysah Dumarpa of Lanao del Sur and Sen. Noli de Castro had earlier asked DFA Secretary Blas Ople to recall Usop for investigation for defying his previous orders to reinstate the Rodriguez board.
Usop had denied charges of “insubordination,” saying that his seizing control of the IPSJ from the de facto board chaired by Fidel Hernandez in June was in line with the position of the DFA and the Saudi Ministry of Education (MOE) that the Hernandez board was “illegal.”
Hernandez’s group, aided by Usop, ousted the Rodriguez board in November 2002 amid mounting protests by parents, who accused the board of overstaying its term, of refusing to provide a financial statement of the school, and of financial mismanagement.
Usop then said that the consulate was to help restore order. He promised an election before the end of January but later found himself sharing power with the Hernandez group and no election had been called.
Usop and his partners later had a falling out and in June, he dismissed the group of Hernandez from the school board for being “illegal.”
Hernandez and his board members refused to honor their dismissal, saying Usop had no basis doing so because he relinquished his chairmanship of the board in late April.
Last week, other parents, teachers and staff scheduled an election but even this had not prospered as the Rodriguez and Hernandez groups both refused to agree.
Meanwhile, teachers yesterday pleaded again with parents to pay the dues of their children so that they could get their unpaid salaries.
Some teachers told Arab News that they were paid only 300 riyals for the pay period July 1-15, 2003.
In a petition dated July 31, the teachers said: “Since classes began on June 7, 2003, we have not been our full salaries. Despite this, we have performed our duties. We have shown commitment, dedication and hard work to the students, parents and administration...”
Rodriquez yesterday said their impending reinstatement was a vindication for his group. “Justice has been served,” he said.
In a meeting with Jacob last night, the presidents of the Parents-Teachers Groups (PTG) in all school levels registered their strong objections against the reinstatement of the Rodriguez board.
The PTG presidents urged Jacob to call instead for an election to resolve the power dispute once and for all.
Some parents also openly opposed the reinstatement, fearing that Rodriguez and his group “will cling to power as they did before.”
A paper circulated to the school community, entitled “Mr. Rodriguez: Second Coming?” described Rodriguez as Janus, a two-faced monster out to devour the school again.
The unsigned paper accused the Rodriguez board of serving as a “proxy” of the MOE and not the interest of the school.
Rodriguez assured those opposed to their return that he will not seek reelection because “had had enough” of IPSJ for three years.
Nilo Lucena, a former PTG president, said that the reinstatement of the elected board is the “legal way” toward restoring normalcy to IPSJ. He added that majority of the parents have always favored the legal way in ending the IPSJ fiasco so that when the new board is elected it will be recognized by the MOE.
