Students of the University of the Philippines Baguio staged a street protest on July 23 to urge the Aquino administration to increase the budget on education.

Kristie de la Peña, head of the University Student Council Nationalist Corps which led the protest, said “if President Aquino retracts his promise because of inadequate budget, he should remember what he said in his speech: we are his boss,” citing that the military, and foreign debt servicing are given a larger share of government funds than the education sector.

Low government subsidy resulted to a 300% Tuition and Other Fees Increase (TOFI) in 2007. Since then government funding has not improved thus the tuition threatens to increase once more and the UP administration intends to charge fees for Physical Education subjects which are usually free.

“UP should remain as the university of the people and not the university of the privileged,” said UP Baguio USC Chairperson Jose Carpio III who laments that UP now charges higher tuition than private universities.

Around 1,500 students joined the demonstration which began with a program in the UPB parking lot at noon and ended at Malcolm Square around 3 p.m.
Organizations which joined the walk-out include Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students, National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, Alliance of Concerned Students, Campus Alliance for Dedicated and Unified Action, Unite-UP, Tanghalang Bayan ng Kabataan sa Baguio, Paggawisan Tako Am-in (PAGTA), Progressive Igorots for Social Action, Ugnayang Multisektoral Laban sa Komersyalisasyon, Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity, Sigma Delta Pi Sorority, Pi Sigma Fraternity, Pi Sigma Delta Sorority, Tau Gamma Phi, and Tau Gamma Sigma and some students from Saint Louis University.

(by Plarlene Juliane Valentos)

6:53 AM | Thursday, August 5, 2010