March 29 is Blog Action Day for Education

My blog entry in support of the Blog Action Day for Education organized by Kabataan Party-list online team.

We have witnessed the show of defiance of students from two of the biggest state universities in the country: Polytechnic University of the Philippines and University of the Philippines.

PUP students bravely opposed the impending increase in its tuition from P12/unit to 1666 percent. UP students, faculty and employees, meanwhile, united on the following important issues: 1) the proposed laboratory fees and miscellaneous fees;2) the appointment of a new PGH Director over the previously appointed and legitimate Director; and 3) the UP BOR's continued meetings without a sitting Student Regent, thus denying the stakeholders to be represented in all important matters being tackled in the BOR.

The simultaneous actions served to inspire other schools who have opposed proposed tuition and miscellaneous fee hikes for the coming school year 2010-2011. Two hundred thirty three (233) schools have proposed to increase tuition and other fees based on a study by the National Union of Students of the Philippines.

The protest actions have reached every household, eliciting debates in various social networking sites, forums, and national TV.

What message does these protest actions serve to convey?

1) That the students' militance and vigor is of equal fervor with that of the FQS activists. Drawing inspiration from the mass actions staged during the 70s, students have proven that they will not take the government's continuous neglect sitting down.

As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, we have successfully opposed past Philippine presidents' education programs. We shall continue to oppose budget cuts in education resulting to schools going self-reliant, embarking on numerous commercialization schemes.

2) That the state of Philippine education has long been in crisis. Very meager budget is allotted for education -a measly 3% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Of the 1648 Higher Education Institutions, only 110 are state-owned. Students and parents are thus forced to shoulder high cost of fees in private schools.

With state universities raising fees (UP raised its tuition from P300 to P1000 per unit, EARIST from P15/unit to P100/unit) education has become inaccessible.

2. That the state have long abandoned its mandated responsibility. That is, to provide the highest budgetary allocation to education clearly written in Article XIV, Section 5, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution. Education spending is only 3rd to debt-servicing and military spending.

The issue is of utmost importance, presidential candidates should clearly present their education agenda.

PROUD PUPian

We were branded 'hooligans'; earned the moniker 'hotbed of activism'; but whatever term is coined of PUP, we will forever be proud PUPians.

The recent display of undaunted defiance against Dr. Dante Guevarra's attempt to impose tuition hike only shows the continuing militant tradition of PUP. We have shown to the whole nation that only through militant struggle can we oppose and impede all attempts to make education commercialized and oppressive, which previous Philippine presidents have done in the past through their 'education programs'.

In the 80's, PUP actively opposed the padlocking of student councils and publications by the late iron-man Ferdinand Marcos. We fearlessly opposed Martial Rule along with then President Dr. Francisco Nemenzo. In the 90's, we actively exposed Philippines 2000 of then president Ramos; Erap's rationalization of education and re-channeling of education budget for his all-out war in Mindanao.

We, along with thousands of students nationwide launched and successfully protested against tuition hikes and budget cuts in education.

The P12/unit was a product and clear proof of our collective action and unwavering commitment to live up to our pledge to serve the people and the students; for we are proud sons and daughters of farmers, ordinary wage earners, and OFWs, we, PUP alumni, are with you in this big fight.

The big protest action that we have started shall ignite and serve to inspire other universities and colleges to mount same protests against brazen commercialization of education.

Let us clench our fists as we proudly sing:

Sintang paaralan tanglaw ka ng bayan
Pandayan ng isip ng kabataan
Kami ay dumating nang salat sa yaman
Hanap ng dunong ay iyong alay

Ang layunin mong makatao
Dinarangal ng Pilipino
Ang iyong aral, diwa, adhikang taglay
PUP aming mahal
Paaralang dakila
PUP pinagpala.

Gagamitin ang karunungan
Mula sa'yo, para sa bayan
Ang iyong aral, diwa, adhikang taglay
PUP aming mahal
Paaralang dakila
PUP pinagpala.


-PUP Student Regent 2000-2001

PUP STUDENTS OPPOSE 2000% TUITION HIKE

On March 19, hundreds of students from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Mabini Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila walked out of their classes to protest the impending increase in its tuition fee from P12 per unit to P200 per unit.

Students threw out decade-old chairs, tables and other school furniture to symbolize their vehement opposition to the impending increase in their tuition.



For the past 5 years, the PUP administration has imposed increases on processing fees: graduation fee, diploma fee, transcript of records, to development fee, laboratory fee and many other fees. And true to his reputation of being anti-student, incumbent PUP president Dr. Dante Guevarra, plans not to spare the lowest tuition fee among state-run schools and decided to increase PUP's tuition despite the absence of a consultation.

Dr. Guevarra invokes the Board of Regents' (BOR) power to increase tuition stipulated in Republic Act 8292. He is unstoppable; further adding that the increase in tuition will be used for the improvement of facilities. This is despite the ample budget allotted for the university's beautification program.

Past PUP presidents (Dr. Zenaida Olonan, Dr. Ofelia Carague, and former OIC president Dr. Samuel Salvador) have all proposed to increase PUP's tuition. These attempts were met with intense opposition from students.

The PUP administration should call for an increase in PUP's budget and should not pass on the burden to students whose parents eke out on a very low income. Of the 108 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), PUP maintains the lowest tuition rate. The glaring fact that 90% of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are private colleges and universities, whose tuition range from P20,000 to P40,000, makes education highly inaccessible. Most students who come from the province are children of farmers, farm workers, OFWs, and teachers who send their children to PUP mainly because of the very low tuition. Increasing PUP's tuition will deny many students of their right to education.

State abandonment has crippled the state of Philippine education. It pushed self-reliance of SUCs, leasing out of properties, scrapping of Capital Outlay, resulting to commercialization of education.

Yesterday's 'golpe de gulat'(as fellow blogger Tonyo Cruz aptly puts it) will snowball into a bigger, bolder action if the BOR ignores its stakeholders' calls. On March 29, the PUP BOR will decide on the proposed tuition hike. Join us.

Education is a right, not a privilege.