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7 Bills to Amend UP Charter Filed in SenateEfforts to amend the obsolete University of the Philippines (UP) Charter has spanned for 15 years, four UP Presidents, and almost three Congresses. With the commemoration of its centennial next year, the country’s premier state university intends to be free of a charter that dates back to American colonial rule. BY REYNA MAE TABBADA Efforts to amend the obsolete University of the Philippines (UP) Charter has spanned for 15 years, four UP Presidents, and almost three Congresses. With the commemoration of its centennial next year, the country’s premier state university intends to be free of a charter that dates back to American colonial rule. In a joint session of the Committees on Education, Arts and Culture, Ways & Means and Finance, senators have been consulting the different stakeholders of UP to discuss the seven bills filed to amend its charter. The said bills are: SBN 132 (“An Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University” by Senators Francis Pangilinan and Antonio Trillanes IV); SBN 158 (“An Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University’ by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada); SBN 792 (“An Act to Enhance the Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy of the University of the Philippines” by Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.); SBN 1236 (“An Act to further Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the Premier State University” by Sen. Francis Escudero); SBN 1540 (“An Act to Strengthen the U.P. as the National University” by Sen. Miguel Zubiri); SBN 1700 (“An Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University” by Sen. Pia Cayetano); and SBN 1871 (“An Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National State University” by Sen. Manny Villar). Birthday wish “This is the birthday wish of U.P.: to have the Charter approved,” remarked UP President Emerlinda Roman as she delivered the first address to the panel that included Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Pangilinan, and Edgardo Angara. Aside from the university’s administration, representatives from student councils and the publication, faculty, non-academic employees, and workers also expressed their position on the said senate bills. All stakeholders agreed that there is a need for a new UP Charter, even though the university’s orientation of providing services and producing researches have not changed. There is also a consensus that the amendments should be considered a priority because of the many changes in the local and global environment since UP was established and patterned after state-funded educational institutions in the United States. “Panahon na para magkaroon ng bagong charter, hindi lang dahil sentenaryo pero dahil ito ay bago at demokratiko” (It is time for a new charter, not only because of the centennial celebration, but also because there is a need for it to be updated and be made democratic), expressed Student Regent Terry Ridon. The Student Regent is part of the Board of Regents (BOR), the highest policy making body in the university, and is only one of the two members directly elected by its constituents. UP WIDEM 3 Amid the apparent differences in views and versions reflected in the seven bills, an alliance of sectors in the university called the UP-Wide Democratization Movement 3 (UP WIDEM 3) convened to unite on a common position regarding changes in the UP Charter. UP WIDEM 3 wanted “to continue to advocate for a UP Charter in the 21st century that will remove the colonial and elitist system of governance… strengthen UP as the premier state university in the service of the nation and expand democratic access to quality but accessible public tertiary education.” Composed of the All-UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU), All-UP Workers Union (AUPWU), Office of the Student Regent, system-wide alliance of UP student organizations, the Philippine Collegian, and other concerned individuals, the UP WIDEM 3 expressed support for Senate Bills 1236 and 1871 filed by Senators Francis Escudero and Manny Villar respectively, for having “provisions that are consistent” with their stand. For instance, the two bills contain safeguards against the “acceleration of the commercialization of UP” by mandating that any revenue generating scheme entered into by UP should remain consistent with its academic mission and orientation. There is also a provision for the establishment of Consultative Assemblies (CA), which would ensure the representation of the stakeholders in UP and allow them to manifest their positions on policies and issues pertinent to the university. Democratic access to UP education is also guaranteed by maintaining government financial support, together with provisions to protect the rights of students by “institutionalizing student councils and campus publications.” Higher salaries While the senate bills tackled the issue of commercialization, the diffusion of the decision-making power in the university, and fee increases from a range of perspectives, all seven bills included a proposal to raise the salary of its employees and workers. Though welcoming this measure, the academic employees and workers of UP represented by their unions AUPAEU and AUPWU conveyed their reservations on where and how money for these salary increases would be raised. “Saan galing? At the Philippine Normal University (PNU), there was a decision to increase the salaries of academic employees and workers by 300 percent pero hindi pa implemented kasi hindi alam kung saan manggagaling,” (Where will it be sourced? At the PNU there was a decision to increase the salaries of academic employees and workers by 300 percent but it has not yet been implemented because they do not know where to source the funds for this) said Prof. Judy M. Taguiwalo, AUPAEU national president. She pointed out that if the source of funds will not be clearly and thoroughly planned, then UP students would inevitably pay for it through continuous tuition and other fee increases. Tax exemptions, idle land use Fearing that the new UP charter might accelerate the commercialization and corporatization of the premier state university, as provided for in some senate bills, a substantial part of the deliberations was dedicated to the exploration of tax exemptions and the use of idle lands. “We will commercialize the land assets, but not the education,” explained Sen. Edgardo Angara, a former UP president. He highlighted the fact that UP owns over 24,000 hectares of land, which could be used to bring in revenues. The senators asked officials of the Department of Budget and Management and Department of Finance who were present during the hearings to look into the possibility of providing UP with tax exemptions in the purchase of equipments and other materials as well as in donations received by the institution. In the meantime, efforts to have a new UP charter appropriate to the times and to its core mission of providing quality tertiary education to poor but deserving students would continue even as questions are still being raised regarding the correctness of the recent 300 percent increase in tuition which students, academic employees, and workers say is a step towards changing the orientation of UP as a state university. Bulatlat ( categories: )
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