FACULTY of Arts and Letters Dean Prof. Melanie Turingan has been named an acting member of the Philippine Postal Corporation’s (PHLPost) board of directors.
In an appointment letter signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Oct. 6, Turingan was designated to the highest decision-making body of the government-owned postal service provider.
“By virtue hereof, they may qualify and perform the duties of the office, furnishing the Office of the President and the Civil Service Commission with copies of their Oaths of Office,” the letter read.
The seven-member board, led by PHLPost chairman and retired Court of Appeals Justice Stephen Cruz, is composed of Vice Chairman Ricardo Blancaflor, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Maximo Sta. Maria III, Virgilio Gil Tuazon, Jr., Ernesto Severino, Ella Enriquez-Valencerina and corporate secretary Joel Ferrer.
Turingan will remain the AB dean as she takes on her new role.
Before assuming the faculty’s highest post in 2023, Turingan served as UST assistant registrar from 2021 to 2022, followed by a one-year stint as AB assistant dean.
She handles courses in the Life and Works of Rizal, Philippine Cultural History, and Readings in Philippine History.
Turingan finished her bachelor’s degree in Asian studies in 2002 and obtained her master’s degree in history two years later, both from UST. In 2016, she earned her doctorate in Philippine Studies at De La Salle University.
Meanwhile, efforts to restore the Manila Central Post Office, which was razed in May 2023, are being led by the PHLPost, which is seeking a P500 million budget for the rehabilitation of the 97-year-old structure.
PHLPost is tasked with delivering postal services as a member of the Universal Postal Union, operating in 1,220 post offices with over 3,000 employees nationwide, as of 2024. F
