PUP community lauds investigation amid alleged thesis theft

Thorr Garcia

Members of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Community have commended PUP for their response made on August 30, following a “grave complaint” against a faculty member. 

This incident was in the form of a thesis theft allegedly instigated by a professor of the institution, which quickly spread in social media and has since drawn backlash from members of the PUP community.

Many have expressed disappointment and resentment, saying it was only right for the university to respond, as it tarnishes the reputation of the institution. 

Aidan Castillon, a college student and graduate of PUP, commented on the issue, stating that it was “saddening” because the contributors of the thesis were not given proper acknowledgment.

“Hindi biro ang paggawa ng thesis; pawis, pera, at panahon ang kinakailangang ialay para matapos ito,” Castillon expressed during an online interview. “Para sa akin, nararapat na mapanagot ang nagsagawa ng thesis theft,” he added. 

It can be recalled that one of the authoring students of the thesis, in a lengthy post, claimed their thesis was submitted and published at the International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Studies under the name of the professor, without their knowledge or consultation. 

“Our names were removed as authors, and we were not consulted or asked for our consent,” said the student in a lengthy post. “We were never informed about this submission, nor were we shown a final version or asked to sign any authorship consent forms,” the student added. 

In its official response, the university has committed to protecting the integrity of the academic community amidst the incident, stating that it will be launching an investigation on the matter.