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G.R. No. 94961
February 25, 1991
Prepared by: Aidyl Pearl U. Perez
Section 5, Article 14, 1987Constitution: (Academic freedom of institutions of higher learning)
(1) The State shall take into account regional and sectoral needs and conditions and shall encourage local
planning in the development of educational policies and programs.
(2) Academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher learning.
(3) Every citizen has a right to select a profession or course of study, subject to fair, reasonable, and
equitable admission and academic requirements.
(4) The State shall enhance the right of teachers to professional advancement. Non-teaching academic
and non-academic personnel shall enjoy the protection of the State.
(5) The State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract
and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other
means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.
FACTS:
This case is a consolidation of 2 related petitions. The petitioners in this case are officers of the
University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM). The respondents in this case are students who
are applicants to the UPCM who obtained scores higher than 70 percentile in the National Medical
Admission Test (NMAT) which was the cutoff score prescribed for academic year 1986-1987 by the
UPCM Faculty and approved by the University Council (UC). However, their scores were lower than the
90 percentile cut-off score prescribed by the UPCM Faculty in a subsequent meeting effective for
academic year 1987-88. Upon appeal of some concerned Pre-Med students, the Board of Regents (BOR)
in its 996th resolution reverted to the NMAT cut-off score of 70 percentile.The Dean of the UPCM and
the Faculty did not heed the BOR directive for them to admit the students. This prompted the students to
file a petition for mandamus with the RTC which later issued a writ of preliminary injunction for their
admission. The RTCs order was brought to the SC which this Court dismissed for lack of merit. Hence,
the students were admitted to the UPCM and passed 3 years in the college.
Before the onset of the 1990-91 school year, the respondent students wrote a letter to the UPCM
Faculty where they manifested that felt that they no longer have any moral right to pursue the court action
thus they filed with the RTC a motion to dismiss and attached thereto their letter to the UPCM Faculty. In
an Order, the RTC dismissed their case with prejudice. In view of this development, the UPCM Faculty
held an emergency meeting where it denied the appeal of the students by a vote of 86 on the ground that
they were not qualified for admission to the UPCM. As a result, the students filed with the RTC a motion
to reconsider its order of dismissal. The RTC issued an order for the admission of the students to the
college. Whereupon, the petitioners moved to lift the ex-parte mandatory order.
The BOR, invoking its plenary power under the Charter of the University over matters affecting
university affairs, resolved to approve the admission of the students in the interest of justice and equity
and to order the petitioners to admit them The petitioners questioned the said BOR order with the
respondent CA on a petition for prohibition. The Dean and Secretary of the UPCM refused to follow the
BOR directive. The UP President issued a formal charge of Grave Misconduct against them and later,
issued an Order for their Preventive Suspension.
The RTC issued an Order which required petitioners to show cause why they should not be held in
contempt for disobeying and resisting its prior order and denied the petitioners' motion to lift injunction.
Petitioners appealed these orders to the Court of Appeals by way of certiorari and prohibition. The CA
upheld the RTCs decision. Hence this petition.
ISSUES:
W/n the Board of Regents and the University Council can validly direct the petitioners to admit the
students to the UPCM?