Faculty of Arts and Letters Dean Prof. Melanie D. Turingan, PhD, was appointed acting member of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) on October 6, 2025.
Appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., Dean Turingan was among the seven-member board that serves as the highest governance and decision-making body for the PHLPost.
Among the board’s tasks was overseeing the PHLPost’s mandate to provide universal postal services and adapt to a digital economy to improve its service. “The current priorities are the modernization anchored on digital transformation, improved delivery systems, and stronger employee engagement while preparing for the structure’s rehabilitation,” Dean Turingan said.
The Manila Central Post Office was razed on May 22, 2023. Donning neoclassical style of architecture, the American period building sprang from the blueprints of the triumvirate Juan Arellano, Tomas Mapua, and Pedro Siochi; it was completed in 1928.
As an advocate of cultural history, Dean Turingan said her new role was to underscore the historical significance of PHLPost and how it has evolved over the years. “As mentioned by the board, it is important to highlight that the agency is one of the oldest in the Philippines, besides the Churches and Schools. So, moving forward, it is also of great importance to showcase the beginnings, contributions, and developments that came along the way,” Dean Turingan said.
Dean Turingan is an academic staff of the Department of History and a researcher at the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education.
She expressed her gratitude for being part of the MA-Cultural Heritage Studies program offered by the UST Graduate School, for it molded her and paved an avenue for her to meet and engage with people in the field and share her expertise.