MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Prospero “Popoy” E. de Vera III as chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), to serve until July 21, 2022.
De Vera has served as CHED Commissioner since Sept. 13, 2016, and was designated CHED Officer in Charge by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea last Jan. 24, when former Chairperson Patricia Licuanan resigned.
He is also currently the official spokesperson of the Commission.
Before joining the Duterte administration, de Vera was UP Vice President for Public Affairs from 2011 to 2016.
He was also an internationally recognized political analyst and opinion maker, who hosted two programs on ABS-CBN — “No Filter,” with now Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr., and “Turo Turo” with broadcaster Jing Castaneda.
De Vera obtained his BA History and Doctor of Public Administration degrees from the University of the Philippines and has served as professor of Public Administration since 1993.
He specialized in Higher Education Administration at the Rossier School of Education of the University of Southern California (USC), as a Fulbright Hays Visiting Scholar from 1990-1992.
He was a Senior Fulbright Visiting Professor/Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from 2000 to 2001.
De Vera was the first-ever CHED Commissioner, who had openly supported the Free Tuition Bill pending in Congress in 2016, an election promise of Duterte.
CHED’s biggest mandate is the implementation of Republic Act 10931, Duterte’s most important social justice program – Free Higher Education.
“I am humbled and challenged by the trust and confidence given to me by President Duterte. I promise to diligently and conscientiously do whatever is necessary to ensure the successful implementation of RA 10931 and all reforms necessary in higher education,” de Vera said in a statement.
De Vera is a known strong advocate for an increased state subsidy for higher education and has shepherded the formulation of the IRR of RA 10931 and the fast-tracking of its implementation.
With his extensive experience and long-term commitment and dedication to public service, the agency trusts that under de Vera’s leadership, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education will be successfully implemented. (PR/PNA)
