TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (March 30, 2026) — A growing rift within the Tarlac State University Alumni Association, Inc. (TSUAAI) has reached a boiling point as a coalition of alumni members formally demanded the nullification of a controversial resolution issued by TSUAAI’s Board of Directors that extended the term of its president, Reynaldo Catacutan, beyond the legal limit.
In a strongly worded demand letter dated March 18, 2026, more than 100 alumni members led by professors Lydia dela Cruz and Daisy Medrano challenged the TSUAAI Board of Directors to rescind the “extension resolution,” calling it a “void” act that violates both corporate law and the university’s own charter.
The dispute centers on a resolution reportedly passed by the TSUAAI Board of Directors before October 2025. This resolution purportedly extended Catacutan’s term as TSUAAI president and Alumni Regent to the TSU Board of Regents past his second consecutive three-year term, which officially ended in October 2025.
According to the documents, the TSUAAI Board justified the extension by citing the need for Catacutan, a former politician, to oversee the completion of the 2nd floor of the TSU Alumni Center. The complainants, however, argue that a construction project is not a legal basis to violate term limits.
The TSUAAI Board resolution is “a lower level of authority than the (alumni association’s) Constitution and Bylaws,” the alumni coalition asserts, adding that “it cannot amend the bylaws” and citing Supreme Court jurisprudence to support their claim.
The alumni coalition argues that the extension is a direct hit to the “institutional integrity” of TSUAAI. Their position is built on three key legal pillars:
First, the TSUAAI Constitution and By-laws, specifically Article VI, Section 21, limits Board members to only two consecutive terms. Catacutan’s second consecutive term as president ended in October 2025.
Second, Republic Act 11695, otherwise known as the TSU Charter, mandates that the Alumni Regent’s term must be coterminous with his term as TSUAAI president, which should have ended months ago.
Section 4 of the TSU Charter states: “The membership of the President of the federation of faculty associations, the President of the federation of student councils, and the President of the federation of alumni associations and the Representative of the nonteaching personnel in the board, shall be coterminous with their terms of office, as provided under their respective constitutions and bylaws.”
Third, the letter cites Bernas v. Cinco (2015), arguing that acts undertaken without requisite authority are void and “cannot be cured by mere practical considerations” like finishing a building.
The signatories issued a five-day ultimatum for the TSUAAI Board to rescind the “extension resolution” and treat the extension as having no force or effect, and immediately set a date for a general membership meeting to elect new leadership.
The alumni coalition also demanded that the TSUAAI Board furnish them certified true copies of the minutes and voting results of the meeting where the “extension resolution” was approved.
As of March 29, 2026, the five-day window for a written response has passed. The alumni group has hinted that failure to comply will result in “appropriate intra-corporate action before the proper court” to test the legality of Catacutan’s continued participation in the meetings of the TSU Board of Regents.
“Why the TSU Board of Regents continues to illegally allow Catacutan to sit as alumni representative even though his term had already ended is anybody’s guess, but we will pursue this case until justice is served and the integrity of the alumni association is restored,” a member of the alumni coalition said.
Catacutan is a five-term mayor of Capas, Tarlac, serving from 2001 to 2010, and again from 2016 to 2022. He lost twice to the now Mayor Roseller “Boots” Rodriguez in 2022 and 2025.
Tarlakenyo.com sought comment from Catacutan regarding the issue, but he has yet to respond as of press time.
