Students hold protest during UP graduation

CEBU, Philippines - Groups of youth activists have accused the University of the Philippines (UP) administration of “adding insult to the injured studentry” and called for the resignation of UP President Ermerlinda Roman, as the last batch of UP students who were free from the 300 percent tuition and other fees increase (TOFI) graduated.

Around 20 youth activists surprised UP Cebu administration last Wednesday as they held a silent protest during the recessional march of the graduates showing banners of their demands to better quality education among others.

The silent protest was spearheaded by Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Estudyante (NKE), a political party in the university, supported by Kabataan Partylist, League of Filipino Students (LFS), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and Anakbayan.

Former Student Council president Anna Cortiha Desamparado, one of the graduates, walked up the stage after the program proper and read the statement of students against the TOFI. With her is another graduate who raised a banner that read “Serve the People.”

In Desamparado’s speech, she cited the threat to remove the student reagent, the UP High School department closure, the commercialization of the university’s properties and the continuous repression of students in different UP systems which are clearly “adding insult to injury of the UP studentry.”

Desamparado also said that TOFI is a clear state-abandonment manifestations and an anti-student move by the administration of Roman. They demanded that those affected by TOFI deserve a rollback and every UPCAT passers deserves a UP education.

The TOFI was passed last 2006 and was implemented to the freshmen students in 2007. TOFI requires different UP system administration to have a bracket system that corresponds to the income tax return of the parents of the students. In UP Cebu, a P1,000 per unit is asked from students whose parent’s annual income is worth P1 million and above. 

Desamparado said that she hopes that students who were affected by the 300 percent increase will continue their struggles against oppression from the administration.

Lex Lucas, the secretary general of the Kabataan Partylist-Visayas said that they demand three things from the current administration: the rollback of TOFI, job opportunities for the new graduates and the resignation of Roman.

Lucas clarified that what they did was not an election stunt, saying that the Kabataan partylist, whether or not its election season, has been in the forefront of helping and supporting the students in their struggles.

Although silent protests during graduation rites are not new in the UP System, it was a first for the UP Cebu administration to witness such action from students and youth activists.

Enrique Avila, Dean of UP Cebu College said that they could not stop the students because it is their right. “We gave this opportunity for the graduates, whether they believed that this is a sacred rite, they’re responsible of how it turned out,” Avila said, referring to how the graduates feel about their graduation.

“It added to the essence of my graduation, we are from UP after all,” said Ryan Geof Geralde, one of the graduates, when asked about his reaction regarding the protest. — May April M. Jimenea, UP Mass Comm Intern/WAB   (FREEMAN NEWS)