‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’: WVSU-CAT process goes on amid leak controversy

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The West Visayas State University (WVSU) has confirmed that the results of its College Admission Test (WVSUCAT) will be issued as scheduled on April 1 to 13, despite allegations of a test question leak.

Dr. Hazel Villa, head of WVSU’s Public Affairs and Marketing Communications Office, assured Daily Guardian that the admission process would continue uninterrupted, with no retake of the exam planned.

This decision comes after the university had accommodated a substantial 20,925 applicants across six campuses without charging any application fee.

“Considering the huge number and the three batches in one day plus the expenses of administering the exam, this is a far possibility. Consider also that there was no application fee; WVSU shouldered everything including the fees of proctors,” Villa said.

Villa disclosed that WVSU has established an investigative committee, which includes two vice presidents, Faculty Regent Shim Lester De Pio, Alumni Regent Bonifacio Gaverza, and other Board of Regents members. Their inquiry will delve into the supposed test question leak and identify those accountable.

However, Villa withheld a timeline for the investigation’s findings, stating, “the process has yet to be outlined.”

“[They] will cover all angles of the so-called exam leakage if indeed there was one. They will look at internal and external factors and trace the source of the ‘leakage’. They also have yet to determine if the items in the ‘[WVSUCAT] review’ that was leaked did come out in the exam. It has yet to be determined if there was indeed a leakage,” she explained.

To reassure candidates, Villa spoke on Aksyon Radyo Iloilo, advising students “not to worry” as the university tackles these allegations with gravity.

She reasoned that any advantage gained from leaked information would hardly suffice, as the WVSUCAT is merely the first hurdle in WVSU’s comprehensive admissions process, which includes an aptitude test and an interview with academic officials.

Certain programs may even require additional evaluations such as psychological exams.

“Our examinees need not worry about these things, that they were overpowered, and other things. The university is seriously taking these allegations,” Villa said.

She further commented on the integrity of the subsequent assessments, saying, “If you get through [the WVSUCAT] with cheating, if you are hanging by a thread, I don’t think you will survive the aptitude [test] and interview.”

In the midst of the controversy, WVSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla appealed to the university community to refrain from amplifying the situation on social media and to engage in more constructive activities for the benefit of themselves and WVSU.

“The initial part of our admission process has been jeopardized and is in the limelight as we see the frenzy caused by media, especially social media. I am appealing to every taga-West to help ‘quiet’ the posts on social media by not reacting. Do and think of other things that can be helpful and positively productive for yourself and for WVSU. My Office welcomes your opinions and suggestions,” Dequilla said in her message.

“We are working out measures to mitigate the situation,” Dequilla assured, acknowledging the challenge given the university’s limited resources.

The leak controversy erupted following a Facebook post by a concerned individual related to a test-taker, sparking widespread discussion and concern on social media.