Tupas opposes SP commendation of Lapating
Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas is opposing the commendation of Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Iloilo School Superintendent Raymundo Lapating.
Pushed by First District Board Member Richard Garin and backed by members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP), the governor openly expressed his disagreement.
“Poor performance,” summed up by Governor Tupas on Lapating’s DepEd Division of Iloilo stint in an interview with Aksyon Radyo’s Febe Tibor Morales.
Yet when asked to rate Lapating between 1 to 10 the latter being the highest, the governor gave a “5.”
Tupas also said that adding to his disagreement on the high praises Lapating got were supposed numerous complaints by teachers against Lapating’s management.
No specifics though were stated by the governor to back up said claim as he also vented his own complaints. Lapating, Governor Tupas continued, also allegedly caused the transfer of principals in schools located at the Fourth District who invited the governor in school sorties.
A complete contrast to SP sentiments who were one in recognizing the “impressive” performance of Lapating particularly his handling of the educational state of Iloilo province.
“Poor performance” for the governor yet “outstanding performance” maintained the SP.
Lapating was appointed as Schools Division Superintendent of the Division of Iloilo in 1996 by President Fidel V. Ramos.
Yet even prior to his assumption as the Superintendent of the Division of Iloilo, Dr. Lapating was widely-known in the academe. He was a Graduate School Professor in the University of San Agustin, West Visayas State University and Jose Rizal University “par excellence,” being a holder of Master in Public Administration, Master in Education, Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management and Special Courses in the Corporate Governance and Risk Management.
“(Whereas), under the leadership of Superintendent Lapating, one of the most beautiful division offices in the country worth P47 million was built through the assistance of various stakeholders,” the Resolution went. “(Whereas), during the incumbency of Superintendent Lapating, the National Achievement Test (NAT) yielded impressive increases in the Mean percentage Score (MPS) of Grade 6 students from 62.11% (2006-2007) to 72.31% (2007-2008) and a remarkable increase with 78.67 for 2008-2009 which made the Division of Iloiloas a top performing division in the whole country in terms of academic performance being rank No. 2 in Region VI and No.7 in the whole country.”
Over-all, it was Lapating’s “exemplary performance” that merited the SP commendation.
“(Whereas), due to Dr. Lapating’s exemplary performance, he was elected National President of the Philippine Association of Schools Superintendents Inc., (PASS) in 2004 and subsequently appointed by the President of the Philippines as the first Ilonggo to be a Board of Trustees of GSIS from 2004-2008 where he represented the 520, 000 public school teachers,” it continued.
“(Whereas), under Dr. Lapating’s leadership, several programs and projects which redound to education developments, were implemented and well-monitored to improve access to quality of basic education and learning efficiency like the Early Childhood Experiences Curriculum, Special Program in the Arts, Special Science Class and School of the Future.”