2 | EDITORIAL

Justice for Rosanna Sanfuego; NUSP seeks justice for victims of commercialized education

12 Gabay sa Pagpili ng Iboboto sa Student Council

There is nothing academic in the academic calendar shift

4 | CAMPUSWATCH 11 | FEATURES6 - 7

APRIL 2015

Wala Tayong Ilusyon

2 | OPINION . The Filipino Student

Ang panawagang “resign” ay hin-di lang nakatuon sa pagpapaalis ng mga tiwali mula sa puwesto. Ito ay bahagi ng layunin na radikal na baguhin ang sistema. Wala tayong ilusyon na mababago ang sistema sa pagpapalit lamang ng mga ta-ong iniluluklok dito. Hangga’t ang bulok na sistema ang namamayani ay araw-araw lamang tayong gi-gisingin ng ating gunita at reyalidad. Naniniwala tayo na ang “People’s Council for National Unity, Reform and Peace” o “People’s Council” ay isang alternatibo at progresi-bong hakbang para sa pagpapa-nibagong hubog ng pampolitika, pang-ekonomiya at pangkulturang espasyo ng bansa. Matapos mapaa-lis sa puwesto si Ginoong Benigno S. Aquino III, ang People’s Council ang magiging tagapangalaga ng bansa sa loob ng isa o dalawang taon habang nasa transisyon ang bansa mula sa katiwalian tungo sa pagtataguyod ng makabuluhang mga reporma. Ang People’s Council ay isang

hakbang para tiyakin ang pagbaba-lik ng mamamayang tunay na ma-pagpasya sa pagbubuong muli ng ating nasyon. Sa pamamagitan ng demokratikong proseso, bubuuin ang People’s Council mula sa ma-lawak na hanay na nagsusulong ng pagpapaalis kay Aquino. Pipiliin ang mga representanteng makabayan, matapat, may integridad, hindi ti-wali, may malawak na karanasan sa paglilingkod sa mga sektor at pamumuno sa mga demokratikong laban. Bubuo ito ng indipendiyenteng komite na magsusulong ng pagpa-panagot kay Aquino at sa lahat ng kasangkot sa mga isyu ng pork bar-rel, Mamasapano clash, pagtaas ng mga bayarin tulad sa matrikula at MRT-LRT, at iba pa. Magsasagawa ito ng hakbang na tutungo sa tunay na reporma sa edukasyon, lupa, trabaho, kalusugan, kabuhayan, pa-bahay, mga serbisyong panlipunan, at pambansang halalan. Hindi papa-yagang makapanumbalik ang mga dinastiyang politikal.

Kasama ang mamamayan, ang mga estudyante at kabataan ay may malaking responsibilidad sa pagsu-sulong ng People’s Council. Sawa na tayong makarinig ng paulit-ulit na litanya, pangako, kasinungalingan at pagtatakip ng ilang naghaharing interes sa politika at ekonomiya sa bansa na pinamumunuan ng mga negosyante at hasyendero. Sa kabi-la ng ipinagyayabang ni Aquino na diumano’y pag-unlad ng ekonomiya ng bansa, kabaligtaran nito ang na-gaganap sa aktwal. Patuloy ang pagtaas ng matrikula at bayarin. Tumitindi ang komer-syalisasyon at pribatisasyon ng edukasyon. Nagdudulot lamang ito ng ganansya para sa mga nego-syante. Pinalalala ito ng mga neo-liberal na palisiya tulad ng K to 12, Roadmap to Public Higher Educa-tion Reforms (RPHER), Education Act of 1982, at iba pa. Napakarami nang pinapatay ng neoliberal na sistema ng edukasyon ng rehimeng Estados Unidos-Aquino: Kristel Te-jada, Rosanna Sanfuego, at marami pang iba na pinalilimot sa atin ang pangalan. Ayaw natin silang limutin! Ayaw nating itigil ang laban! Napakaraming perang nalulustay sa kamay ng iilan. Ngunit ang mga manggagawa ay hindi kayang mabuhay sa binabarat na sahod. Patuloy ang kontraktwalisasyon. Walang tunay na repormang agrar-yo. Ang mga survivor ng kalamidad tulad ng Yolanda ay ineetsa-pwera habang prayoridad ng gobyerno ang malalaking negosyo. Patuloy ang militarisasyon sa kanayunan at ang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao. Pinalalawak pa ang kapit at presensiya sa atin ng imperyalistang Estados Unidos, ka-hit pa sa puntong isangkalang ang sariling hukbo at kahit pa malapa-stangan ang ating soberanya. Maraming dahilan ang nag-ugat ng ating paglaban. Ang batayang mamamayan ang buhay na patotoo ng ating mga panawagan. Ang ating kolektibong pakikisangkot ay higit na makatutulong para kamtin ang tunay na panlipunang pagbabago. Lipas na ang kawalang pakialam at pagsasawalang kibo. Ang bawat panahon ay kasay-sayang nililikha, at hindi ubra na tayo ay liliban sa paglikha nito. #

...................................................................................................................................................................................................E D I T O R I A L

TheFilipinoSTUDENT

EDITORIAL BOARD: [Editor in Chief] John Clifford Sibayan, [Staff] Jecon Dreisbach, Benedict Opinion. Sarah Elago, Marko Matibag, Lovely Carbon, Sheryl Alapad, Ines Adavan [Technical Support] Mykel Andrada Facebook: www.facebook.com/NUSPhilippines,Twitter: @nusphilippines, Intagram: @nusphilippines, Email: nusphilippines@yahoo.com, Website: www.nusp.org

Wala tayong ilusyon

“Ang bawat panahon ay kasaysayang nililikha, at hindi ubra na tayo ay liliban sa paglikha nito.”

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), togeth-er with other student and youth groups, held a dance mobilization versus tuition and other school fees (OSF) increases to the tune of “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, in front of the Commision on Higher Educa-tion (CHED). Their version of the song, “Bang, Parang Holdap Lang ‘Yan” likened school administrators, CHED and BS Aquino III to robbers because of the high cost of Philip-pine education. This was among the activities that culminated in a National Day of Walkout vs Tuition & OSF Increases last February 27. NUSP called for the junking of the proposed tuition increases and the imposition of exorbitant, redun-dant and dubious fees. Currently, a college student needs an average of P75,000 to P80,000 to cover for the yearly tuition and other school expenses. With the proposed increase for tuition for academic year (AY) 2015-2016, a student with a 30-unit load needs an additional P7,000 to P11,000 annually. This, despite the student union’s persistent call for the BS Aquino III government and CHED to enact and implement a tuition moratorium. Students also criticized the commission for gross negligence in regulating tuition and OSF. Last academic year, NUSP filed with CHED several cases versus school administrators that violated CHED Memorandum Order No. 3, series of 2012, or the guidelines regarding in-creases in tuition and OSF. But all of these cases, despite NUSP supply-ing all the verified complaints and evidences, were simply dimissed by CHED. The commission even admit-ted during a Committee on Higher and Technical Education (CHTE) fo-rum in the Philippine Congress that it has failed to carefully investigate and to punish the violating school administrators. Student and youth groups con-demned Aquino’s continued ad-herence to the deregulation policy

on education: the Education Act of 1982, which basically allows schools to increase and impose fees according to their whims and caprices. The student union and youth groups demand for the re-peal of the law. “Tuition deregulation has pro-duced a dramatic climb in tuition and other school fees and in yearly college dropouts. Attaining a col-lege degree is a nightmare dressed like a daydream,” says Ms. Sarah Ela-go, NUSP National President. NUSP has brought to CHED’s attention the continuing collection of illegal school fees such as the development fee and energy fee, but Aquino’s CHED has remained negligent about this. NUSP has submitted to CHED a list of schools that illegally collect such fees, but CHED has failed to monitor and sanction these violators. While students from PHEIs transfer to state universities and colleges (SUCs), it is noteworthy that there is still a decline in terms of the number of enrollees in SUCs. In fact, even students in SUCs dropout of college. More than 2.3 million college students dropout annually. Elago said that the esca-lating number of college dropouts should be a cause of alarm for the national government. However, the Aquino government and CHED have remained to be supporters and protectors of school adminis-trators wanting to increase tuition, and stamp pads of education de-regulation. “Skyrocketing tuition and other school fees are taking away the chance of the youth and student to education. Aquino’s educa-tion policy coerces the students and parents to comply with the pre-scripted cost of educa-tion in country, making it more bur-d e n s o m e than acces-sible,” says Elago. #

3 | NEWS . The Filipino Student

PH govt’s tuition deregulation robs students of education, future; Tuition averages at P80k per year

4 | CAMPUSWATCH . The Filipino Student

Justice for Rosanna Sanfuego;NUSP seeks justice for victims of commercialized education

The National Union of Stu-dents of the Philippines (NUSP) expressed deep sympathy and called for justice as it and its member-student councils con-doled with the grieving family of Cagayan State University (CSU) freshman student Rosanna San-fuego. Rosanna was pushed to take her own life due to the pressure of being unable to pay for the cost of CSU education. While the CSU ad-ministration boasts of a zero tui-

JUSTICE FOR EDUCATION. NUSP, Alyansang Tapat sa Lasalista, Youth ACT Now, and Rise for Education held a candle lighting last March 16, 2015, in front of De La Salle University along Taft Avenue and called for justice, education for all, and truth and accountability.Photo by: Mykel Andrada, PinoyMedia Center, Inc.

Tulong Kabataan’S Call for Donations for the Victims of Aquino’s All Out War in Maguindanao!Contact: tulongkabataan@gmail.com0926-757-8908 (Globe) | 0919-832-6344 (Smart)

tion in the university since 2009, it has been found that the cost of undergraduate tuition has been redistributed to miscellaneous or other school fees (OSF) ranging from P2,000 to P4,000. Interviews with CSU students during NUSP and Kabataan Party-list’s student convocations in the different campuses of CSU last year revealed that, though zero in tuition, majority of the almost 40,000 CSU student population cannot afford the cost of other

school fees. “Remote campuses of CSU also showcased how the inadequate government subsidy has resulted in the increase and imposition of other school fees, poor facilities, less plantilla positions for faculty and staff, and higher student drop out rates,” narrated Mr. John Clif-ford Sibayan, NUSP Vice Presi-dent for Luzon. “BS Aquino III’s almost five years in office saw no adequate increase in CSU and other state universities and colleges (SUCs). Interesting-ly, SUCs in Aquino III’s term have further commercialized public education. Some of the commer-cialization schemes are increases in tuition and OSF and imposition of exorbitant and dubious fees. Ironically, students from private schools transfer to SUCs only to find out that the cost of our public education is as high as private edu-cation,” explained Ms. Sarah Elago, NUSP National President. Weeks before Rosanna’s death, a technical committee in CSU said that it was tasked to study the re-imposition of a base undergraduate tuition fee. Clearly, Rosanna’s un-timely death is a clear and strong signal that CSU students, like any other student of SUCs, cannot take any reimposition of tuition and any increase in other school fees. “Rosanna’s death reveals that Philippine education is commer-cialized and repressive. The Aquino government’s irresponsibility in providing free and quality educa-tion to all pushes the Filipino stu-dents and youth to abandon their dreams even to the point of taking their own lives,” lamented Ms. Femie Galapon, NUSP Cagayan Valley Vice Chairperson. Last March 13, 2015, the death anniversary of University of the Philippines – Manila student Kris-tel Tejada was remembered with a National Day of Walkout Against Tuition and Other School Fees In-creases. “We hold the Aquino administra-tion accountable for stripping the likes of Rosanna Sanfuego, Kristel Tejada and other students of the right to free and quality education. We do not only grieve for Rosan-na. We seek justice for Rosanna, Kristel and the Filipino youth!” ex-claims Galapon. #

5 | CAMPUSWATCH . The Filipino Student

La Salle Araneta students troop to CHED; Call for the stoppage of acad calendar shift, trimester scheme and impending tuition increase

Lasalyanetans led by the Stu-dent Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in De La Sal-le Araneta University (STAND DL-SAU), College Student Councils of DLSAU, and the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) filed a petition at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) last March 26, 2015, in strong opposition to the DLSAU administration’s imposition of the academic calendar shift, trimester scheme and tuition increase. All three schemes lack genuine student consultation and are being railroad-ed by the DLSAU administration. The petition, with more than 700 names and signatures of DLSAU students affixed, strongly opposed the impositions of the three ill-con-ceived schemes by the DLSAU administration. The signature cam-paign is still on-going. “We attest that there were no genuine consultations done by our school administrators regard-ing these three issues that have a radical impact in our lives as La-salyanetans. The ‘consultations’ were merely administration-spon-sored meetings to inform us about their planned impositions of the calendar change, trimestral scheme and tuition increase. Imposition is ultimately different from consul-tation. We were not consulted, but were merely disseminated with information,” stressed Mr. Patrick Tayo, outgoing Chairperson of the College of Business Student Council and incoming President of DLSAU’s Supreme Student Council. “It is very sad that the university administration does not think of our welfare and that the real reason for the said railroaded schemes is to make profit out of the students, as fiscal adjustment to the K to 12 setback, and not as an academic and curricular improvement. For ex-ample, the six-year requirement for the doctorate degree of Veterinary Medicine will be illegally and un-justly violated as DLSAU’s trimes-tral scheme will reduce the years of study to four,” exclaimed Ms. Demiee Grace Sy, incoming Chairperson of the College of Veterinary Medicine

and Agricultural Sciences (CVMAS) Student Council. “Without any approval from CHED, the DLSAU administration has al-ready announced changes in our cal-endar and adjustments in our class periods starting this May. These haphazardly done changes would spell not only confusion but the lack of academic integrity of our school. It does not even have a plan or blue-print of the academic and trimestral change. And the tuition increase will only bring about increase in drop-outs in our university,” says Mr. Job Bautista, Spokesperson of STAND DLSAU. “We love our university and our fellow Lasalyanetans that is why we are respectfully submitting this petition and other attachments to protect the rights and welfare of the Lasalyanetan studentry and community,” the students’ petition to CHED read. “The K to 12 program, academic calendar shift, trimestral scheme and tuition increase ultimately re-veal the kind of Philippine educa-tion espoused by the BS Aquino III administration and the DLSAU offi-cials – the kind that makes milking cows out of students, to the detri-ment of academic integrity. Clearly, the Filipino student does not de-serve this. And the Filipino student does not want to inherit this crook-ed system,” said Mr. JC Sibayan, NUSP Vice President for Luzon. #

#AyokoMagmahal top ph trending topics

UST students outraged over tuition & school fees increase

continued to page 11

NUSP’s The Filipino Student is open for contributions. Send your articles, photos and art-works at nusphilippines@yahoo.com. We are also accepting let-ters to the editor and announce-ments. All contributions and other works are subject to the publication’s editorial policies.

All member student councils/governments of the NUSP may send their statements, manifes-tos and campaigns for possible inclusion in our print or online publications! So what are you waiting for! Push na yan!

JOINNOW!

JUSTICE FOR MAMASAPANO, AQUINO OUT NOW. Student and youth leaders Mico Pangalangan and Victor Villanueva of Youth Act Now, and Sarah Elago of NUSP, en-joined members of the Phil-ippine National Police last February 27, 2015 to seek jus-tice for the SAF 44 and other victims of the US-Aquino in-stigated Mamasapano clash, and to call for Aquino’s resig-nation.

Photo by: Mykel AndradaPinoy Media Center.

www.nusp.orgVISIT OUR WEBSITE AT

University of Santo Tomas (UST) students trended in social media the hashtag #AyokoMagmahal to express outrage against the then-proposed 5% to 7.9% tuition increase for academic year (AY) 2015-2016. #AyokoMagmahal be-came one of the country’s trending topics in twitter. In one of his tweets, UST Cen-tral Student Council - Central Board Speaker Mr. Victor Villanueva said that “aside from 5-7.9% increase in ‘tuition’ UST admin proposes a 30% increase in library fees to more than 2k (2,000 pesos) for most students.” UST students firmly believe that the UST administration does not need to increase tuition and other school fees (OSF) since it has bil-lions in assets and millions in profit. In the midst of talks that the UST administration has lowered the pro-posed tuition increase to 2.5%, Rise for Education - UST and the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UST (STAND UST) remain firm that any increase in tuition and OSF is unjust. Villanueva revealed that “UST has P870 million in cash and P6.2 billion in other cash equivalents and investments as per latest fin(ancial) statement.” Villanueva said that UST has a net asset of P6.47 billion.

Ang pagpili ay isang pagpapasya, at ang pagpapasya ay kapwa internal at external na pagpili. Bagama’t sa huli, internal ang magiging mapagpasya batay sa pagsasaalang-alang sa lahat ng mga aspeto. Kaya naman narito ang ilang gabay para sa mga kabata-ang estudyante para sa prinsipyadong pagpili ng kandidato o partido politikal na ihahalal sa konseho ng mga mag-aaral. Tungkulin natin na itaguyod ang demokratikong espasyo ng mga mag-aaral sa pagsusulong ng ating mga demokratikong karapatan bilang estudyante at mamamayan. Hindi lamang nakukupot sa apat na sulok ng ating mga silid-aralan ang tungkulin natin bilang kasapi ng lipunan. Ang bawat panahon ay paglikha ng kasaysayan at ang ka-saysayan ay liriko ng iba’t ibang ka-ranasan, tunggalian, at tagumpay. Kaya naman sa bawat oras, araw at taon ng paggugol ay hamon sa atin na itala ang kasaysayang nali-likha sa loob at labas man ng ating pamantasan.

1. Mahalagang pag-aralan at suriin ang plataporma (general and spe-cific programs of action) at kung ano ang politikal na paninindigan ng lahat ng partido at kandidato. Hindi ka pumipili sa dami ng seminar o congress na napuntahan ng isang kandidato, o kung anumang award na kanyang natanggap. Dahil hindi naman ang mga ito ang decisive sa pagpili kundi kung ano ang mga kampanya ng estudyante at mama-mayan na nilahukan at pinangunahan nila. Nariyan ang mga isyu ng tuition fee increase, dubious at exorbitant na mga bayarin, manininda, workers, magsasaka, demolisyon, delayed at mababang pasahod sa mga guro, political harrassment, korapsyon sa gobyerno, Yolanda, Mamasapano,

at marami pang iba. Kaya bumoboto dapat batay sa plataporma, politikal na paninindigan at mga programang inihain na magsusulong ng karapa-tan ng estudyante at mamamayan.

2. Ang Student Leader ay hindi tra-ditional events organizer lamang. Mahalagang masipat kung ano ang role ng student council. Ito dapat ang tagapamandila ng mga usapin at kampanya bukod sa mga tradi-syonal na mga programa at aktibi-dad na dapat ay secondary task ng isang konseho. Hindi pwedeng main-gay lang sa mga aktibidad tulad ng pageants, raffle, intrams (repeat: pageants, raffle, intrams), pero ta-himik sa mas malalaking usapin ng bayan at estudyante. Hindi na na-kakapag-exam ang mga estudyante dahil sa iligal na no permit, no exam policy sa school ninyo ay pageants, raffle at intrams pa rin ang priority nila. Aba, hiya-hiya at gising-gising din pag may time.

3. Ang konseho ng mga mag-aaral ay hindi extension ng Social Weather Station (SWS) at Pulse Asia surveys. Hindi nito gawain na magpa-survey sa lahat ng isyu. Kaya dapat nagha-halal ang mga estudyante sa stu-dent council batay sa plataporma at paninindigan ng partido at kandida-to. Halimbawa, kaya ibinoto ang par-tidong may malinaw na tindig laban sa tuition increase, dahil alam na ng mga estudyante na kailanman ay hindi papayag ang partidong ito sa kahit magkanong pagtaas ng tuition. Kaya ang student council, sa halip na matali sa pagse-survey, ay dapat tiyakin na may informed judgement na ang kanilang constituents at pa-munuan sila sa mga laban na ito. Hin-di dapat kinukupot ang estudyante sa espasyo ng survey. Mahalaga ang

tindig ng konseho sa mga isyu kaya mahalaga sa mga lider estudyante na mayroong konkretong pagsusuri sa konkretong kalagayan para mai-wasan ang uninformed judgement sa mga usapin. Aba! Nabulok na ang isyu ay survey pa more! May nama-tay nang mga estudyante dahil hindi makabayad ng tuition at iba pang school fees at hindi makapag-exam dahil sa no permit, no exam policy ay magpapa-survey ka pa ba kung hihingi ng katarungan para sa kanila!

4. Ang Student Council Election ay hindi “Personality Politics.” Ang konseho ay hindi lang dapat alter-native space kundi ito ang ating inaasahang democratic space para sa ating democratic rights. Marapat lang umalpas ang mga konseho mula sa pagiging tipak ng personalidad patungo sa pagiging tagapagtaguyod ng collective effort in championing the students’ and people’s agenda. Kung personality politics ang ating paiiralin, ano pang ipinagkaiba natin sa national elec-tions na binubuo ng mga traditional na politiko. Hindi tayo bumoboto dahil lamang sikat ang kandidato. Bumoboto tayo dahil sila’y may ma-linaw na politikal na paninindigan at para sa kapakanan ng estudyante at bayan. Unawain ang pormula ng te-orya at praktika. Hindi “May ‘say’ sa mga isyu pero walang aksyon.” Kundi ang best formula ay “May “say” sa isyu na sinasamahan ng kolektibong aksyon.”

5. Hindi dapat tuwing eleksyon lang lumalabas ang partido o kandidato para sa mga posisyon sa konseho ng mga mag-aaral. Dahil sa dami ng isyung kinahaharap ng mga es-tudyante at mamamayan, vital ang role nito sa pagpapalakas ng kam-

panya para tutulan at labanan ang mga palisiyang nagpapahirap sa mga estudyante at mamamayan gaya ng pagtaas ng tuition at other school fees (OSF), paglabag sa mga demokratikong karapatan tulad ng freedom of expression at freedom of assembly, oil price hike, pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin at pamasahe, korapsyon sa gobyerno, mababang pasahod sa manggagawa, pangan-gamkam sa lupa ng mga magsasaka, at marami pang iba.

6. Straight to the point. Huwag ma-hiyang magtanong sa mga kandida-

6 -7 | CAMPUSWATCH . The Filipino Student

to, pero huwag sayangin ang mga ta-nong. Huwag magpalimita sa “petty questions” tulad ng paghahambing, achievements sa buhay, traditional activities na napangunahan, at love life. Sa halip ay tanungin sila hinggil sa mga isyung kinahaharap ng mga estudyante at mamamayan. Ano ang kanilang paninindigan, at ano ang gi-nawa nila sa mga isyung ito? Pero mag-“introspect” din sa kabilang banda kung bakit ikaw ay nakiisa o hindi nakiisa sa laban, at kung paano isasangkot ang mga kandidato at ang sarili sa mga mainit na laban ng estudyante at mamamayan.

7. Hindi tayo bumoboto dahil ang mga kandidato’y naging “election performers,” o yung mala-Re-sorts World Manila kung magsa-bayang-pagbigkas o sing-and-dance na production sa pangangampanya. Maganda nga, flashy, malakas ang impact, PERO ano ba talaga ang sinasabi? Iboboto ba sila dahil magaling silang mag-perform ng sabayang bigkas at sing-and-dance, o iboboto sila dahil ipagtatanggol nila ang mga karapatan mo? Go lang, patapusin sila sa kanilang mga thing, pero after that, bumalik ulit sa mga batayang tanong na nabanggit sa mga naunang bilang.

8. Mga ate, kuya, beki, transy, tibum at iba pa, huwag pairalin ang sympathy vote. Mas maawa tayo sa sambayanan at sa lahat ng es-tudyante na pinapahirapan ng iba’t ibang policy at mga bayarin. Can’t afford natin ang leadership na ki-nokompromiso ang mga bagay. Ngayon at kailanman, kailangan ng mga lider-estudyante na maka-es-tudyante at para sa estudyante at bayan. Can’t afford din natin ng “Administration Representative to the Student Council.” Iba ang sapak niyan hanggang sa maburo na ang isyu ay wala pa ring aksyon. Matuto na tayo sa kasaysayan: ang mga kan-didato at partido na tuta, lapdog, at sunud-sunuran sa administrasyon ay huwad na mga lider at partido da-hil hindi kapakanan at katarungan ng estudyante ang ipinaglalaban.

9. Hindi nagtatapos ang usapin sa “respeto” bilang tugon sa mga nag-babanggaang ideya’t paniniwala. May diskurso sa bawat nilalaman at mahalagang mahimay ito. Kumbaga, dapat ma-determine ang nabubu-lok sa di nabubulok, ang mabaho

sa mabango, sa nakakatawa at di nakakatawa, at marami pang iba. Sa madaling sabi, mayroong tamang ideya na dapat isulong at mayroong maling ideya na dapat iwaksi. Lag-ing tandaan ang pormula na “thesis vs anti-thesis is equal to synthesis”. Isapraktika ang demokrasya ng tunggalian ng mga ideya. Walang namang mali rito. Dahil sa tungga-lian natin nalalaman ang wastong linya ng paninindigan sa mga bagay. For more informed judgement! Ang paggamit sa salitang “respeto” para tapusin ang usapin ay porma ng “es-capism” -- para lumayo at lumihis sa talakayan at diskurso na very unhealthy. Do not escape! Rather, engage!

10. Maraming sumisigaw ng “pagbabago,” pero suriin kung anong klase ng pagbabago ang ipinapanawagan. Una, may naba-go ba? Ikalawa, naging substansyal ba ang pagbabago? Ikatlo, ano ang dapat pang baguhin, at ano pang asersyon ang dapat gawin para tuluyang baguhin ang maling siste-ma? Hindi lahat ng pagbabago ay nakabubuti sapagkat mayroon ring huwad na pagbabago. Halimbawa, kung dati 15 pesos per unit lang, ngayon ay 1,500 pesos per unit na. Aba, may nagbago nga! Kaya ang tanong: pahihintulutan at ipagpa-patuloy pa ba ang ganitong uri ng pagbabago? Kaya naman push tayo para sa “TUNAY” na pagbabago!

11. Ang genuine student leader ay hindi dapat tahimik sa mga isyung kinahaharap ng mga estudyante at mamamayan. Ang mga statement o manifesto ay pagpapakita ng tin-dig sa mga partikular na isyu. Pero hindi lang dapat sa paglalabas ng manifesto nagtatapos ang kam-

panya – mahalaga at dapat ay may kaakibat na aktwal na aksyon at tu-gon sa bawat isyu at hamon. Kung kailangang makipag-dialogue, maglunsad ng mga vigil at mass action, hindi dapat natatakot ang genuine student leader na ipagla-ban ang karapatan laluna ng mga estudyante at mamamayan.

12. Collective action and effort are imperative. Kung babalikan ang kasaysayan, napakarami nang ipinagtagumpay ang sama-samang pagkilos. Nagkaroon ng tinatawag na mga “Commune” sa University Belt, UP Diliman at sa maraming bahagi ng Pilipinas. At ang mga ito’y pinangunahan ng mga mag-aaral at kabataan, kasama ang mamamayan, noong Martial Law. Sa sama-sa-mang pagkilos ay naisagawa ang pagpapabalik ng student councils at publications na ipinasara ni Mar-cos noon at ng ilang unibersidad ngayon. Napigilan rin sa maraming beses ang pagtataas ng matrikula. Dahil sa sama-samang pagkilos ng mga manggagawa at mamamayan, naipababa sa walong oras ang pag-tatrabaho at nagkaroon ng mga benepisyo. Nakapagpabagsak na ng mga korap at despotikong rehi-men ang kolektibong pagkilos. At marami pang iba. Lahat ay nagbago batay sa collective effort. Mahalaga rin ang petition writing, manifesto at dialogue, pero never na ito ang naging major at decisive sa laban ng mamamayan at estudyante. Ang sama-samang pagkilos, ang collec-tive action, ito ang nagpapanalo ng mga laban laluna’t ang laging isina-saalang-alang ay ito: hindi kailan-man ikino-compromise ang karapa-tan. #

NEWSBRIEFSBaguio Benguet students filed a complaint against Saint Louis Uni-versity, University of the Cordilleras, University of Baguio, and others, last March 23, 2015. The complaint is in protest against the 10% tuition increase for incoming freshmen proposed by St. Louis University, and the dubious, exorbitant and re-dundant fees illegally collected by other schools.

.........................................................

University and college student leaders under the banner of the Rise for Education Alliance and NUSP ex-posed the inutility and negligence to regulate tuition of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) during the Committee on Higher and Tech-nical Education (CHTE) forum on tuition and other school fees in the House of Representatives last Feb-ruary 16, 2015. After careful and im-mense exposition by student lead-ers, CHED admitted that indeed, colleges and universities illegally increased and collect tuition and other school fees.

8 | CAMPUSWATCH . The Filipino Student

“Kahit ibawas pa yung ‘restricted net assets,’ UST still has P565 M,” fur-thered Villanueva. “As if adding insult to injury, UST had already increased 5% in tuition last AY 2014-2015. The proposed tuition and OSF increases for AY 2015-2016 will be a year of burden to the students and parents,” said STAND UST. The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to stop tuition and OSF and not to merely act as stamp pad of such impositions. Moreover, NUSP also urged BS Aquino III to release an executive order to stop tuition hikes. “The students insist that a moratorium in fees increases is more than imperative,” said NUSP National President Ms. Sarah Elago. “In Aquino’s five years in office, tuition and OSF range from 14,000 to 17,000 pesos per semester. It is high time to junk the Education Act of 1982, which is the root cause tui-tion and school fees deregulation in the country,” ended Elago. #

A year after UP Manila fresh-man Kristel Tejada was pushed to her limits due to her inability to pay her tuition, the UP admin-istration “revised” its tuition sys-tem and touted it as “Socialized Tuition System” (STS). And while the STS promised that “no qual-ified student wil be denied a UP education on account of finan-cial need,” the reformed tuition scheme has only made UP edu-cation more inaccessible. “STS only intensified the pri-vatization of public tertiary education. With the highest base tuition of P1,500 per unit in the history of UP, an average of more than 5,000 students in UP Diliman (UPD) alone apply for student loans,” said Mench Tilendo, Convenor, Rise for Edu-cation-UPD. “Despite calls to junk STS, the BS Aquino III administra-

tion declared via its Roadmap to Public Higher Education Re-forms (RPHER) the nationwide implementation of STS for all state universities and colleges (SUCs),” exclaimed Hon. Neill John Macuha, UP Student Re-gent. “The most recent attempts to impose STS were at the Poly-technic University of the Phil-ippines and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. We should unite with iskolars ng bayan to oppose STS,” ended Tilendo.

JUNK THE SOCIALIZED TUITION SCHEME AND RPHER

#AyokoMagmahal tops PH trending

topicS

continued from page 5

ANONG GANAP?Maging The Filipino Student Correspondent!

Quezon City – The Katipunan Com-munity staged a blackout protest last March 13, 2015, calling for truth, accountability and justice after the recent Mamasapano operations and the continued commercialization of education in the Philippines. Dubbed as Katipunan para sa Katotohanan, Katarungan at Kapa-yapaan (KKK), more than 300 stu-dents, faculty, and community mem-bers from the Katipunan schools (Miriam College, Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philip-pines Diliman, Philippine School of Business and Administration) and nearby communities held an ecu-menical service, candle-lighting and human chain activity at Miriam Col-lege Gate 1. Benedict Opinion of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said that, “The violence in Mamasapano took away not only the lives of policemen, but also the lives of Moros and civilians. It is in-justice.” The protesters solidly called for the end to the culture of impunity and to the government’s anti-Mus-lim hysteria. “Long and lasting peace will be attained if the government will address the root cause of armed conflict. All out offensive or all out war is not the key to attain peace but by addressing the real cause of poverty and inequality not only in Mindanao but also in the country,” added Opinion. “We are doing this not only for jus-tice, but also for truth and account-ability. We are not isolated from the sad state of education in our society and the Mamasapano incident. We have had enough of the neoliberal policies that do not benefit the Fili-pino people,” said Mico Pangalangan, Youth Act Now spokesperson. Pangalangan added that the Uni-versity of the Philippines (UP) and the Miriam College are among the schools that should be promoting a liberative education. However, profit has been the root of all evil in these universities, as commercial-ization and privatization schemes such as the Socialized Tuition Sys-tem in UP and the tuition and other

school fees increases in Miriam College continue to make education unreachable to the general Filipino populace. “The candle lighting is a symbolical action of the students in seeking the light of truth and justice. Despite all the cover ups and lies, the people’s clamor would still prevail in uphold-ing it’s mandate to attain genuine freedom and democracy,” Pangalan-gan ended.

Katipunan Schools & Community Hold Ecumenical Prayer, Candle Lighting for Justice for Mamasapano

9 | CAMPUSWATCH . The Filipino Student

“PUP admin insane in proposing a 1,600% tuition increase”– NUSP

“16,000 pesos will definitley kill the PUP student’s dream of attaining tertiary education.” The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), under the administration of President Eman-uel C. De Guzman, is once again at-tempting a tuition and other school fees increase and imposition. PUP plans to increase the upcoming senior high school students’ tui-tion and other school fees (OSF) to P16,000 for school year 2015-2016. This is an average of 1,6000 per-cent tuition increase. This is not the first time that the PUP administration attempted to increase its tuition and OSF. Early last year, the PUP Central Student Council and the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), together with other youth and stu-dents organizations, trooped to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to denounce the then-pro-posed 830% tuition increase and the proposed Socialized Tuition Fee Scheme, which has been prop-erly studied as a mere smoke-screen to tuition increase. “We are urging the PUP adminis-tration and the Aquino government to stop fee hikes imposition. Com-mercialization of PUP education should be halted by scrapping ex-orbitant, redundant and dubious fees being collected from PUP students,” said Jess Ferrera, PUP Central Student Council President. Ferrera added, “Junking Aquino’s ‘Roadmap to Public Higher Educa-tion Reforms’ is imperative. In fact, Aquino has only proven that the K to 12 program is pushing Higher Education Institutions to accumu-late further profit and is making inaccesible of Philippine education in general.” “The proposed P16,000 tuition of the PUP administration high-lights the direction of Philippine education towards massive privat-ization. This is what the neoliberal policy on education of the Aquino administration is all about: taking away the public character of state universities and colleges, inflicting the power of consumption in the cost of education, and denying the students of their right to free and quality education,” said Sarah Ela-go, NUSP National President. “BS Aquino has not learned any-thing from the deaths of state

The Rise for Education Alliance supports the legislative agenda of Kabataan Partylist regarding the deregulation of education, tuition and other school fees, and student democratic rights. The education alliance attended the public hearing of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education (CHTE) of the House of Representa-tives (HOR) to assert its position to have genuine legislative measures for students and youth. Kabataan Partylist Represen-tative Terry Ridon filed house bills and house resolutions intended to safeguard the right of students and youth to education: HB 354: three-year tuition moratorium, HB 698: tuition regulation, HR 756: inves-tigation on other school fees, HR 894: review on developmental fees imposition, HR 895: automatic fee

increase for freshmen students and HB 1098: Student Rights Bill. “We strongly support the said house bills and resolutions. These bills have a comprehensive take on student rights and welfare. These house bills and resolutions are the fruition of the collective research and assertion of students and youth all over the country. These bills are seen not as paper promises but real assertions for a just and accessible education for the Filipino youth,” said Ms. Sarah Elago, Rise for Edu-cation Alliance Convenor. “We strongly urge our legislators to stand and confront the root cause of inaccesibility of Philippine educa-tion. The house bills and resolutions decisively go against the neoliber-alization and deregulation of edu-cation,” added Elago.

universities students Kristel and Rosanna. Aquino refuses to listen to our call for a free and accessible education. But the students and youth will not falter,” Elago ended.

BANG! PARANG HOLDAP LANG YAN. Student and youth groups assailed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the BS Aquino III ad-ministration for blatantly allowing schools to increase tuition and other school fees according to their whims. Stu-dents held a dance protest, taking cue from the popular song “Bang Bang”. The protest song likened greedy school owners and the government to hold uppers or robbers as they literally rob the students and the youth of their future.

Photo by: JC Sibayan

BE PART OF NUSP!BE A MEMBER!

To signify interest in joining the student union, have your council undergo an NUSP Orientation. NUSP believes that joining the union should be based on principled unities. For new mem-ber-councils, a certificate of membership will be issued after the approval of the National Assembly. Standing member-councils only need to manifest reaffirmation of membership to the union.

Student groups support Kabataan Partylist’s

legislative agenda; Push for genuine student and youth bill

The Edgar Jopson Education and Training Center comprises various discussions on skills training and social issues following the example of the young martyr, Edgar Jopson. Expected outputs of this activity are trained student leaders respon-sive to the twists and turns of the objective situations inside and out-side the campus. This is to be able to teach them to be more critical and analytical.

The Education and Research Com-mittee’s project and curriculum is named after Edgar Jopson as a tribute for his selfless martyrdom for the Filipino people and would serve as an inspiration to the youth to be more involved in building the nation. Crucial to this is active par-ticipation in discourse that would articulate the objective situation of the youth and other sectors, to be able to guide them in their practice.

GO!

Email: nusphilippines@yahoo.com

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) strongly supports the Action Committee for Democratic Education’s (ACDE) fight against the un-democratic National Education Law of 2014 in Burma. The National Education Law of 2014 does not recognize student unions as legal entities, does not follow UNES-CO’s standard budget allocation, and does not allow students to partake in political activities. Such a law clearly steps on the democratic rights of stu-dents, despite the several proposals and recommendations submitted by the stu-dents before the law was passed. The repressive governance in Burma cur-tails the fundamental rights of the youth and students of Burma to democratic rep-resentation and to peaceably assembly. These are clear constitutional and human rights that are being repressed by the Burmese government. The National Ed-ucation Law of 2014 seeks to police stu-dent unionism, to pacify the students’ and people’s genuine call for free-dom and democracy. The right to organize, to assem-ble, and to express freely, and the right to not be discrimated due to political affiliations, are fundamental human rights entitled to all the citizens of a nation. NUSP denounces the fas-cist government of Burma and holds it accountable over the violent disper-sal and crackdown of students protesting for their legitimate and democratic concerns. Fascist governments, such as those of Burma and the Philippines, gain nothing but their own downfall.A people will always fight for their sovereign rights and will not think twice to oppose and defeat

10 | FEATURES . The Filipino Student

ON Burma’s Repressive Education Law

undemocratic, anti-student and anti people poli-cies. A government that ensures its rule in the

land by perpetuating violence will only sow the defiance of its people.

NUSP strongly supports the assertion of students all over Burma against the

said Education Law, to be represented in the legisla-

tion of education policies, to operate student unions, to allocate 20% of the national budget to education, to make

quality education accessible for all, and to self-manage the

individual affairs of regions and schools.

We demand justice to all the victims of state violence! We hold the Burma government li-

able for the violent dispersal of stu-dents! We stand

against the Na-tional Education Law of 2014 in Burma! #

“The right to organize, to

assemble, and to express freely, and the right to not be

discrimated due to political

affiliations, are fundamental

human rights entitled to all the

citizens of a nation.”

“A government that ensures its rule in

the land byperpetuating

violence will only sow the defiance

of its people.”

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) is deeply alarmed at the growing number of universities and colleges that intend to shift their academic calendars without genuine student and multi-sectoral consultations and concrete curricular and administrative plans and adjustments. NUSP lambasts how the Commission on Higher Educa-tion (CHED) and the BS Aquino III administration, consciously and irresponsibly allowing these calendar changes, consign the Philippine educa-tional system to the annals of global slavery. There is nothing academic in the academic calendar shift. It is a privatization and commer-cialization of Philippine education. In fact, it is not merely a change of the opening and closing of classes. It is a change intended to prioritize courses and programs for global market ex-pansion, to produce graduates that are for the cheap and docile labor of global corporations, to entice foreign students to enroll in Phil-ippine schools for financial gains, and to increase and impose school fees. Universities such as the De La Salle Araneta University (DLSAU) intend to shift their calendar for financial purposes and not really for aca-demic purposes. The pri-mary intention is to finan-cially adjust to the K to 12 program setback instead of the supposedly “academic” nature of the shift. Last year, top universities including the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas shifted their cal-endars following the dictum of “global competitiveness” under the contested “ASEAN integra-tion.” NUSP, together with other students and members of both the academic and non-academic communities, expressed strong opposition to such change citing the imminent dissolution of “non-marketable” and “non-global” academic programs such as Filipi-no, humanities and social sciences, the foreseen unabatedness of tuition and other school fees increases, the lay-off of faculty and personnel, and the projected increase in dropouts and out-of-school youth, among others. Even the administration of the University of the Philippines, touted as the country’s premier state university, railroaded the shift with no tangible academic and administrative plans. Within a year after the approval of the academic calendar shift in UP, plans of dissolving Filipi-no and humanities courses surfaced, workers’ plantilla items were dissolved, additional school fees such as rentals skyrocketed, a new social-ized tuition scheme application process was implemented, and the contractualization of UP employees intensified. The shift has, in more ways than one, drastically obliterated the pub-

lic character of UP education, setting a crooked route for Philippine education. Schools such as the Saint Louis University, University of Baguio, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, and University of Caloocan City, among others, have changed their calendars. Aside from the De La Salle Araneta University, other universities that are railroad-ing the approval of academic calendar change, without the merit of genuine consultations and concrete plans, are University of Cordilleras, and Benguet State University, among others. NUSP accosts CHED for once again lying be-tween its teeth. The commission contradicts its very statement that it discourages universities and colleges from shifting their calendars. In fact, it has not seriously, conscientiously and re-sponsibly investigated and acted on reports of unwarranted, undue and unjust calendar chang-es. The growing number of universities and col-

leges that have shifted their calendars is very telling of how inutile CHED

and the Aquino government are in ensuring a pro-student and

nationalist education. It is very telling that our education system is geared towards glo-balization that serves

only the interest of foreign businesses and capitalist educators. It is enraging that CHED and our own government allow these changes that would only make global slaves out of our graduates. This is

inhumane and utterly dis-respectful of the humble

dream of the Filipino students to finish their studies in order to serve the country and the people. #

There is nothing

academic in the academic

calendar shift:CHED, Aquino push schools

to produce cheap, docile labor

“It is very telling that our education system is geared

towards globalization that serves only the interest of foreign businesses and

capitalist educators.”

11 | FEATURES . The Filipino Student

12 | FEATURES

We, the Filipino students and youth, stand against the unabated increase in tuition and other school fees (OSF). The past decade saw an alarming jump in base tuition rates: the nationwide average in tuition fees increasing by 108% and the national capital region’s going up by 143%. Even aggravat-ing are redundant, exorbitant, and dubious OSF. Tuition and OSF have netted big schools millions in prof-it and spots in the country’s top 1,000 corporations.

Philippine education is one of the most inaccessible in the world. With the very inhumane minimum wage in the country and the high cost of daily living, majority of Fil-ipino families could not afford to send their children to school. Any form of tuition and OSF in-creases should be stopped. Com-mercialization and privatization schemes, such as CHED Memo-randum Order No. 3 series of 2012 and the Roadmap to Public Higher Education Reforms (RPHER) that allow and encourage TOFI, must be junked.

We hold CHED and the Benig-no S. Aquino III administration accountable for their neglect via yearly budgets cuts experienced by SUCs and via failure to stop greedy school owners and admin-istrators from hiking tuition and OSF in private and public higher education institutions.

Youth and students must stand united in fighting against tui-tion increases and OSF. We must march into the streets to demand that the national government backpedal on its policy of dereg-ulation. We must drumbeat our demand for accessible, free and quality education!

P1500Average amount

of PUP college freshmen tuition per semester

P1500per unitPUP admin proposed

standardized base tuition per unit

p16000PUP admin proposed

Senior High School Fees

P3646Average amount

of Other School Fees in PUP, which is almost three times larger than

the base tuition

458%Tuition increase in tutorial classes in

addition to the proposed 16k new fees in PUP

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P12per unitCurrent average tuition

per unit in PUP

...............................................

Sources:NUSP Tuition Monitor Network

League of Filipino StudentsKabataan Partylist

pupnumerology

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MALAYAN COLLEGES

SUMATOTAL

Mga numero’t bilang na dapat tandaan. Samu’t saring numero’t

katotohanan na dapat paglimihan. Mga numero na hindi lamang

binibiling kundi binibigyang boses at tugon.