MSU prof hunted for ‘forging’ GMA signature

A professor, who allegedly forged the signature of President Arroyo in an attempt to get the presidency of the government-run Mindanao State University (MSU), is now the subject of a manhunt by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Elfren Meneses, head of the NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division, said he has deployed his agents to track down 60-year-old Abdul Rakim Mutin, a resident of Marawi City.

In a statement, Meneses said the NBI has recommended the filing of charges of estafa through falsification of public documents against Mutin with the Manila prosecutor’s office.

The NBI conducted the investigation after Bernardino Abes, of the Malacañang Search Committee, sought its assistance to look into the alleged dubious appointment of Mutin as MSU president.

Records show that Mutin applied for the position of MSU president on July 12 last year.

Last April 1, he claimed that Malacañang had appointed him to head the MSU. President Arroyo supposedly signed his appointment papers on Dec. 10 last year.

To support his claim, he even produced a letter purportedly signed by Abraham Purugganan, undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns, certifying his appointment.

But Purugganan reportedly denied having knowledge of having assisted anyone to bag the MSU presidency.

Abes himself doubted Mutin’s supposed appointment because the term of the MSU president is fixed and that the term of the incumbent MSU head, Dr. Camar Umpa, will expire in August next year.

Meneses said Purugganan’s signature in Mutin’s supposed appointment papers had "G" as middle initial when it should be "A."

Malacañang’s record office also had no copy of the professor’s appointment papers.

The NBI also found out that the bar code number in Mutin’s appointment papers — 27751 — was already used in the appointment of Luningning Misuarez-Umar as acting commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) last Sept. 24.