Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Patricia Licuanan vacated her post on Monday, after receiving a call from Malacañang asking her to resign.
In a speech after the flag-raising ceremony at the CHED headquarters in Quezon City, Licuanan announced her resignation, saying that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea phoned her over the weekend asking her to leave her office ahead of the expiration of her term in July 2018.
“I have decided it is time to go. It has become obvious there are persons determined to get me out of CHED by hurling false and baseless accusations against me in what appears to be a fishing expedition and a well-orchestrated move in media,” Licuanan said.
The former CHED chairperson was earlier accused by Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles of going on several foreign trips. Nograles questioned whether Licuanan usurped the powers of President Rodrigo Duterte by approving several “Authority to Travel Abroad” documents for herself.
“Usurpation of the powers of the President? Did #CHED Chairperson Licuanan usurp the power of President Rody Duterte by approving her own travel authority contrary to EO (Executive Order) 459 (series of 2005)?” Nograles said on a social media post attaching photos of the documents.
However, Licuanan denied allegations of excessive travel. She defended that she had eight official trips last year, five of which were shouldered by the government. Licuanan added that she had five official travels in 2016, six in 2015, two in 2014, and three in 2013.
Licuanan said that she was confused on who supplied the internal documents about her trips to Nograles.
“These are internal documents to support the administrative release of funds, and while I signed the internal documents of my own travels, my signing was always based on an official travel authority from Malacañang,” the former CHED chief said.
“The question is: Who put together these and who offered it to Congressman Nograles?” she added.
Licuanan was appointed to head the commission in 2010 and again in 2014. She was supposed to end her second four-year term as CHED chief on July 20.