A group of Industrial Engineering graduates from the University of Perpetual Help – Calamba has raised concerns over academic integrity, claiming that their thesis concept was stolen by a lower batch, which later won the Best Thesis award during the recent commencement exercises.
Kristina Esguerra, alongside her thesis groupmates Eloisa Prado and Miguel Dela Rama, voiced their frustrations on social media, alleging that the university stripped them of the Best Thesis honor before their graduation. According to Esguerra, Prado initially pitched the idea of developing a rice desiccator for farmers, a project the group worked on meticulously for months.
“Tulong-tulong kaming tatlo para mabuo ‘yan, simula sa title, shape ng dryer, design, paper, and all,” Esguerra wrote on her Facebook post, highlighting their collective efforts.
Esguerra explained that their joy was short-lived when the award was taken back shortly before graduation, citing the reason that another group had submitted a similar thesis earlier, earning them a higher grade. Despite their frustrations, the group chose not to contest the issue at the time to avoid jeopardizing their graduation.
Recently, a group of mechanical engineering students from the same university went viral for their thesis, which focused on a dual-powered rice dryer intended to help farmers during the rainy season. The project gained media attention and was featured on One PH, sparking Esguerra’s realization that it closely resembled their own work.
In her online post, Esguerra expressed her dismay over how their thesis concept was allegedly reused by the lower batch without their consent, stressing that the lack of a patent prevented them from claiming plagiarism. “Wala man lang heads up na ipapagamit thesis namin sa next batch… dahil hindi namin siya pinapatent, wala daw plagiarism,” she lamented.
The University of Perpetual Help – Calamba has since issued a statement, acknowledging the concerns and announcing a full investigation into the matter. “We take these matters seriously and are committed to ensuring that all parties receive a fair and just resolution,” the university stated, adding that they would investigate issues surrounding citation, permission, and innovation.
Esguerra and her group have maintained that they deserve proper recognition for their work, calling into question the university’s academic integrity policies. “Tinanggalan nyo kami ng Best Thesis award tapos ‘yung nag-add ang binigyan nyo ng award,” she wrote, emphasizing the need for transparency and respect in academic practices.