A Facebook post garnered reactions online when a graduate student of the University of Perpetual Help–Calamba shared an experience about an incident that deeply affected her and her mates during their time at the university.
The post claims that the story started when Eloisa Parado suggested a rice dryer as the subject of their thesis.
According to OP, they worked tirelessly to construct this project with Miguel and another student in her group. They poured their hearts and souls into this thesis, from ideas for the dryer’s name and form, to creating the design and writing the report.
When their idea had concluded, their team was overjoyed and thrilled about the prospect of receiving recognition for their diligence.
But just before graduation, they received information that their thesis had been rejected and another group had won the “Best Thesis” title, which confused them.
The explanation was that another group had already presented their work when they submitted their thesis, which happened prior to their own submission.
“WOW! Paunahan pala ang basis o dahil anak ng prof at wala na mai-dahilan? [WOW! So it’s just a matter of who submits first or is it because they are the professor’s child and there’s no other reason?]” said the students who were left questioning the fairness of the decision.
Despite the disappointment, they remained resilient, determined to ensure their graduation. They had worked hard to reach this milestone as irregular students—Eloisa was a shifter, Miguel was a transferee, and the third member was a returnee. The pressure to keep quiet was immense, but they were not ready to give up.
In their post, they talked about how they suffered a great deal of emotional damage and felt deceived, especially after telling their parents about it, who were also quite proud of what they had accomplished.
Moreover, the students learned afterward that the following class had used their thesis ideas without permission. They were told by UPHSD-Las Piñas that there was no plagiarism as they did not patent their idea.
This raises significant issues about the institution’s commitment to academic honesty. It asks how students can be proud of their education when creativity isn’t encouraged, and their hard work is unfairly taken away, letting others profit without providing due credit.
“We deserve the right recognition for our innovation,” they added.
The panelists were not aware of the modifications to the ‘Best Thesis’ award until recently.
This award, which is given in recognition of academic excellence, was apparently given to a group that was able to submit first. The students felt that the caliber of the student’s work should have determined who should have won the title. The students also spoke about feeling like their lack of ties within the educational system worked against them. “Kasi alam nila dapat kami yun, kaso wala kaming connection sa school e, [Because they knew we should have been the ones, but we had no connections in the school],” they reflected on the inherent biases.
At first, the group thought they would move on with their lives and keep quiet after graduation, but new information about the ‘Best Thesis’ award reopened the issue. The university has released a statement regarding the issue, confirming that an investigation is underway.
As of this writing, the students haven’t responded to the university’s statement.
Other POP! stories you might like:
Understanding the cultural history and significance of ‘Pastil’ in the Philippines
Funny video about Filipino nurses sparks wholesome sharing from grateful patients online
‘Offering you a chance now’: Arnel Pineda willing to leave ‘Journey’ if fans want him to do so
Blacklist International closes ‘Dota 2’ chapter after two years with ‘Rivalry’
‘He tricked me’: James Reid exposes alleged million-peso fraud by former partner Jeffrey Oh
