MMSU renamed as FEMSU (Ferdinand E. Marcos State University) has been approved by the House of Representatives Committee on Higher and Technical Education., August 16.
Senate approval, House Bill (HB) 2407 was enacted by Congress on a 7-1 vote. Ilocos Norte 2nd district Representative Angelo Marcos Barba drafted the official title of the bill “An Act Renaming MMSU in the City of Batac, Ilocos Norte as FEMSU, Amending for the Purpose Presidential Decree No. 1279, Entitled ‘Merging the Mariano Marcos Memorial College and Northern Luzon State College into a University, Transferring the College Level Courses of Ilocos Norte Agricultural College and Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trades into Said University, Providing a Charter for the Purpose and Appropriating Funds Therefor.’”
Rep. Jose Aquino II of the Agusan del Norte 1st district made the motion to pass the proposal, and Rep. Mark Go of the Baguio district served as chairman of the committee on higher and technical education.
Rep. Raoul Manuel of the Kabataan Party-list, a militant from the Makabayan bloc, objected to the passing of HB 2407.
Before HB 2407 was approved, MMSU President Shirley Agrupis stated her entire support for the renaming of the state institution during her appearance as a resource speaker during the panel hearing.
“I gave my unconditional support to this proposal because President [Ferdinand] Marcos is the father of state universities and colleges in the country for establishing most of them during his term, thereby providing access to quality education. To date, there are already 114 state colleges and universities but not one of them is named after the one who established or initiated for their establishment,” Agrupis said on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
She revealed that during a special meeting with the MMSU administrative council and board of regents, the majority of the representatives backed the proposal to rename the university.
Agrupis stated that attendees of the special meeting suggested to rename MMSU to FEMSU.
Manuel participated in a protest against the bill’s adoption.
“The one to whom the university will be named is not just a figure in the region but a very controversial figure in the country…I believe that a bill such as this runs contrary to the essence of legal actions and executive orders that recognize that Ferdinand Marcos Sr. has done some abuses on our Filipino people. For instance, Republic Act [RA] 10368, or the Human Rights Victims Reparations and Recognition Act,” Manuel said before the House panel.
