THE school superintendent plantilla position for Pangasinan has gone to nearby La Union in what seemed to be a swap of sort, it was gathered Wednesday.

Department of Education regional director Vilma Labrador however claimed that the superintendent item does not really belong to the local government units thus anybody can lay claim to it.

Pangasinan II division superintendent Armando Aquino, who used to head the La Union schools division, carried with him the plantilla item for that province when he was assigned here in Pangasinan last year. The item for Pangasinan, in like manner, was subsequently taken by the present superintendent in La Union.

Retired Pangasinan I superintendent Erlinda Nava during her time had with here the item for the San Carlos city division. Upon retirement, her item went to Dr. Renato Viray who briefly headed the Pangasinan I division until he was assigned as officer-in-charge of the new Alaminos city division.

Present Pangasinan I division head Ruth Torio, who holds an assistant superintendent item, is only technically, an officer-in-charge.

The whole confusion cropped up when Pangasinan was split into two administrative divisions sometime in the 1980s, one based in Lingayen and the other, in Binalonan. One division may be headed by a full superintendent, while the other, by an assistant superintendent, one time or another.

The other schools divisions like San Carlos were also deprived of the item when the holder like Nava was later reassigned to other divisions where she carried with her the position.

Previous regional directors tried to correct the matter by calling on Pangasinan congressmen to pass a law that will officially create the two divisions in Pangasinan. Their efforts have proved futile till now, however.

A new tact is being employed to solve the problem. Labrador said that a process is ongoing at the Department of Budget and Management that will eventually create another item for a superintendent for Pangasinan.

She noted that at present, the two school divisions already have their separate budgets unlike before when the budget for the province is divided between the two divisions. (DOS)