Office of the Student Affairs (OSA) Director Maria Cecilia Tio Cuison has sought a medical leave, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) said, amid the controversies surrounding the agency.

“The University of Santo Tomas has approved the application of its [OSA] Director for medical leave and has designated Asst. Prof. Jaezamie V. Ong as Officer-in-Charge,” the statement, posted on the University's official Facebook page on Thursday afternoon, read.

Ong is currently the assistant principal for student formation at the UST Senior High School.

Tio Cuison’s leave comes in the wake of the OSA’s order to take down a TomasinoWeb photo featuring College of Information and Computing Sciences students wearing their type B uniforms in front of a 7/11 branch inside the campus and the widespread condemnation of the OSA’s actions received from inside and outside the University.

In response to this issue, the University said it “listens to its stakeholders” and vowed to uphold the rights of students in an “environment conducive to learning and responsible development.”

“A technical working group led by the OSA OIC will soon initiate a dialogue with representatives of recognized student organizations and review all student-related policies and guidelines, including those under the Campus Journalism Act,” the University’s statement added.

Earlier this week, Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raoul Manuel filed House Resolution 1633 to investigate the OSA and its alleged censorship and threats on TomasinoWeb, as well as other alleged student rights violations within the University.