By SAVE UCC MOVEMENT (PR)

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — The church people of the United Church of Christ on the Philippines (UCCP)-North Luzon Jurisdiction (NLJ) Area and members of the Save UCC Movement are happy and hopeful that the new management of the Union Christian College (UCC) will save the school.

Last May 31, in the UCC Board of Trustees meeting a new set of officers were elected. The new set of officers include; Chairman Bishop Elorde M. Sambat, (the NLJ Area Bishop), Vice Chairman Adamor Dagang, Secretary Dr. Ferdinand Anno, Treasurer Aida Jara and School President Myrna L. Carreon.

It was also decided during that said meeting that representatives from the general assembly and North Central Luzon Conference (NCLC) will be part of the BOT. Rev. Mathias Angiwam Jr. and Grace Paris are the two representatives from the general assembly. The NCLC representative is Adamor Dagang.

In a statement, Save UCC Movement reiterated that these legitimate representatives from the church were not recognized by the past management adding that the resources and management of the school is under the leadership of the church.

“Their actions have been interpreted as over-protectiveness and control over the BOT to ensure that allegations of corruption and mismanagement would not be probed upon,” the statement read.

It can be recalled that former BOT Chair Benjamin Turgano was ousted and former UCC President Dr. Filemon Lagon Sr. resigned after church leaders and workers, students, UCC employees, parents and alumni under the banner of the Save UCC Movement protested the alleged mismanagement and corruption in the school.

According to the same statement, the past management left a colossal task of settling the more or less P27 million school debts that are near maturity and prevent the drop of enrollees.

“We will settle all payables through sourcing out other self-sustaining fund generating projects that do not require the selling of properties of the corporation and to develop a cheap and popular school advertising strategy that makes effective use of human resources more than financial resources,” assured Bishop Sambat during the first BOT meeting of the new management.

A school caravan, which will be joined by the UCCP members and church leaders, school employees, students and school administration will be set on June 12, solely for school promotion. A thanksgiving celebration will soon be scheduled and all are invited including police officers who watched over and interrupted the legitimate protests of the people against the past administration.

“These actions will be done to prove that Save UCC Movement does not only protest against what is wrong but propose and support what is right,” the statement further said.

The new administration assumed office last June 1, 2012. The Investiture of the new administration is set on June 18. # nordis.net