COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III called on Philippine universities to raise their standards after their positions dropped in the recent Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings.

"Our universities are aware that they must now see the global trends in education, see what is happening in other countries, compare themselves with universities in other countries, see what are the good things that can be done to improve as a university. That is what internationalization is all about; you go beyond your political boundaries, you go global," de Vera said in a press briefing on Friday.

In the Times Higher Education rankings released on May 1, the Ateneo de Manila University remained the top Philippine university in the region, but its ranking declined significantly and was now out of the top 100 universities.

From 84th in 2023, Ateneo dropped to 401-500th place this year, followed by De La Salle University, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and Mapua University.

Eight state universities and colleges, meanwhile, were included in the "reporter" status in the rankings.

UP President Angelo Jimenez said that while they use school rankings as a reference point for improvement, their service to the Filipino people is among their most important metrics.

"UP is the national university; its most important [asset] is its relevance to the people, the ability to respond," Jimenez said.

De Vera, meanwhile, commended Mabalacat City College for receiving the Technical or Digital Innovation of the Year plum from the Times Higher Education, beating top universities in Asia, including the National University of Singapore.