West Visayas university admissions test questions leaked, director confirms

BACOLOD, Philippines – A ranking official of the state-run West Visayas State University (WVSU) in Iloilo City confirmed on Thursday, March 15, that questions in its recent college admission test were leaked.

The exams were held at the university’s main campus in Lapaz District, Iloilo, on March 10, with 11,600 takers.

However, Dr. Hazel Villa, WVSU director for public affairs and communications, said a panel of investigators has yet to recommend what actions to take after it validated allegations about a leakage.

“Most likely, there will be a final decision next week,” Villa said.

Villa said university officials strongly condemned the cheating, and warned that those responsible for the leakage would suffer the consequences of what they did.

“The public is requested to wait for the findings anytime next week, as well as options to ensure a fair approach to the cheating issue,” Villa said.

WVSU’s official student publication, Forum-Dimensions, also published Villa’s confirmation of the leakage on Thursday night.

Dr. Joselito Villaruz, WVSU president, was cautious in his pronouncement. He said, “The official statement will come from the Office of the President because that’s only the time they confirm that there is really a leak in the conduct of WVSU CAT. As far as I know, I haven’t received the document. I would like to deny those allegations or statement coming from anyone. The committee is an independent body and they cannot issue statements without a full investigation report.”

The test leak was first brought to the public’s attention by a Facebook user, CJ Gania Barnezo Arellano, on Wednesday, March 13, when he posted screenshots of his conversation with his younger sister, one among the thousands of WVSU CAT takers last Sunday. 

Their exchanges showed his sister alleging that several examinees had access to the questionnaires before the exams. These questionnaires were purportedly identical to those distributed during the actual exams.

The post quickly spread, prompting the WVSU to initiate an investigation into the matter.

Iloilo historian and WVSU alumnus Nereo Lujan was appalled, and urged the university to void the results of the March exams and hold another one.

“The confirmation of a leakage in the recent WVSU College Admission Test is alarming and unacceptable.  Only through a fresh start that the trust of both students and the community be restored in the admissions process,” he said.

Another WVSU alumnus, Emil Marañon III, posted on his FB page, “With this confirmation, the only way to reinstate the credibility and integrity of WVSU’s admission process is to redo the whole thing, back to zero for everyone.”

“I simply do not buy the excuse that there are still subsequent tests or assessments that still need to be done. A poisoned process – one that is tainted by fraud from the very start – is beyond cure. As an alumnus, I hope that the administration acts decisively and swiftly, ensuring that whatever course they take should be fair to all exam takers,” Marañon added. – Rappler.com