TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (March 2026) — The search for the next president of Tarlac State University (TSU) has been halted after a local court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) this morning, March 26, 2026, following a legal challenge filed by the university’s Vice President for Administration, Atty. Gherold Benitez.
The TSU Board of Regents (BOR) recently disqualified Benitez from the presidential race, citing his failure to meet the “earned doctorate” requirement without providing a legal definition for the term “earned doctorate.” Benitez, who holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree and a Master’s in Public Administration, maintains that his legal degree constitutes a professional doctorate, making him eligible for the university’s top post.
The disqualification centers on a long-standing debate within the Philippine education system. While the Legal Education Board (LEB) has previously issued resolutions (such as LEBMO No. 19 and Resolution No. 2019-406) asserting that a Juris Doctor is equivalent to a doctorate degree for academic and ranking purposes, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has historically been more conservative, often treating the JD as equivalent to a Master’s degree in non-law academic settings.
The petition for TRO argues that the BOR’s refusal to recognize his JD as an “earned doctorate” is an “erroneous interpretation” of prevailing educational standards.
The issuance of the TRO comes at a critical juncture for the university. The term of the incumbent president, Dr. Arnold E. Velasco, is set to expire on March 31, 2026.
The search committee for the TSU presidency, chaired by Dr. William D. Dar, had been moving toward the final stages of the selection process before the court’s intervention. The TRO effectively freezes all proceedings, including the scheduled public forum and panel interviews for the remaining candidates, until the court can hear the merits of Benitez’s petition.
A hearing for the Preliminary Injunction is expected to be scheduled within the next few days. If the court rules in favor of Benitez, the Board of Regents may be forced to reinstate him as a qualified applicant. If the petition is dismissed, the search will proceed with the remaining shortlisted candidates.
