Students Hit Gov’t Neglect of Education
Protest leaders dispersed, detained

Even before they could voice out their demands, around 50 students and out-of-school youth, waiting for their colleagues from different schools in Manila and Quezon City before marching to Mendiola Bridge, were harassed and violently dispersed by the police last June 21.  Four were arrested and many others were hurt.

By Emily Vital
Bulatlat.com

Arrested were Edel Santos, secretary general of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP); Bayani Alonzo II, chairperson of the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), Ronalyn Olea, former president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), and Mary Jane Abad of the Anak ng Bayan youth party. 

In an interview with Bulatlat.com, Edel Santos, secretary general of the National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP), said they were waiting for their colleagues at the picket line of Ever Gotesco workers along Recto Avenue in Manila when the violence occurred. At around 1 p.m., Santos related, 10 policemen from the Western Police District began searching their bags.  Minutes later, they were violently dispersed.

Alonzo related that during the dispersal operations, policemen pointed their guns, an M16 armalite assault rifle and a .45 pistol, at the protesters. 

The four arrested students were charged with obstruction and illegal association.

The protest

The students were supposed to march to Chino Roces Bridge to condemn the state neglect for education. 

Rizza Ramirez, NUSP president and University of the Philippines (UP)-Manila student council chair, said the Macapagal-Arroyo government is responsible for the increasing cost of education. “Amid the economic crisis and increases in prices of basic commodities and services, the Macapagal-Arroyo regime cuts state subsidy for public schools and favors tuition hikes in private schools.”

In a statement, Apolinario Alvarez, Anak ng Bayan president, condemned the violent dispersal, “Is this how the Macapagal-Arroyo government responds to the legitimate protest of the Filipino youth?”

Alvarez said that under the Macapagal-Arroyo regime, Philippine education has worsened.  “What we see is the blatant abandonment by government of its responsibility in educating the youth.”

Decreasing state subsidies

Students from UP Diliman and Manila and Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) joined the protest action to register anew their call for higher state subsidy to education. 

Only P15.71 billion (U.S.$ 280 million) was allotted to 111 state universities and colleges (SUC). The budget for the Maintenance, Operating, and Other Expenses (MOOE) of all SUCs was cut by 10 percent.  The budget for capital outlay (CO) was abolished.

“As a result, SUCs hold income generating projects (IGP) and impose tuition and other fee increases,” Ramirez said. 

Meanwhile, late enrolment fees in PUP were hiked by 900 percent, from PhP10 (U.S.$0.18) to PhP100 (U.S.$1.79).  The examination fee for the PUP College Entrance Test increased from PhP100 (U.S.$1.79) to PhP200 (U.S.$3.57).

In UP, laboratory fees in the College of Engineering and Business Administration increased.

Bridge Program

Meanwhile, high school students from at least five public schools welcomed their first day of classes with a coordinated noise barrage. They reiterated their call to stop the implementation of the pre-secondary bridge program 

Students from Quirino High School, San Francisco High School, Calderon High School, Batasan National High School and University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) were among those who participated in the noise barrage.

In an interview with Bulatlat.com, China de Vera, spokesperson of the League of Filipino Students-High School, said, “Our call is to scrap the program, not to make it optional.  The Department of Education has missed the whole point—the bridge program is not the solution to the declining quality of secondary education.” 

De Vera asserted that the government should instead increase its subsidy to education. 

Tuition increases

While their counterparts from SUCs and public schools are complaining of decreasing state subsidies and government neglect, students from private schools decried the exorbitant increases in tuition and other fees.

According to the June 7 partial report of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), 370 private colleges and universities or 28 percent of private higher educational institutions increased their tuition fees.  The national average increase is 11.06 percent or a PhP32.74 (U.S.$0.58) hike per unit. 

Ramirez criticized the CHED for flaunting the figures.  “There is no reason to be merry.  These tuition hikes are imposed despite the deadlock in consultations and amid student protests.”

She added that many schools also increase miscellaneous fees.  “Anyone would be surprised at how creative the school owners are in inventing new fees.” 

“Miscellaneous fees in the University of the East, for example, increased by 16-36 percent from PhP2,515 (U.S.$44.91) to PhP3,415 (U.S.$60.98).  These fees are never itemized in the students’ receipts.  Not yet included in these fees is the laboratory fee worth PhP2,200 (U.S.$35.75).  During the last four years alone, miscellaneous fees have increased from 88-105 percent,” Ramirez said.

She added, “The UST administration charges students with energy fee worth PhP800 (U.S.$14.29) per semester.  With a 30,000 student population, the administration gets P24 million every year out of the energy fee alone.”

Other fees include physical development fee P1,500 (U.S.$26.79); student development fee, PhP1,000 (U.S.$17.86); library fee, PhP1,000 (U.S.$17.86); medical/dental fee, PhP500 (U.S.$8.93); matriculation fee, PhP800 (U.S.$14.29).  There is even an athletic fee of PhP800 (U.S.$14.29) aside from the sports fee of PhP100 (U.S.$1.79).

More protests

Santos said that violent dispersal and other forms of harassment could not stop them from fighting for their right to quality and accessible education. 

She said Ms. Macapagal-Arroyo should expect a big mobilization from the youth and students in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month. Bulatlat.com

source: Commission on Higher Education

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