MANILA, Philippines - University of the Philippines president Alfredo Pascual lifted yesterday the controversial “no late payment†policy even as UP Manila students and some professors walked out of their classes to protest school regulations that have been blamed for the suicide of a student last week over her failure to pay tuition.
Kristel Tejada, a 16-year-old freshman behavioral science student at UP Manila, drank silver cleaning solution at her home in Tondo, Manila last Friday and died later in a hospital.
Protesting students clashed yesterday with security guards of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) where chancellor Manuel Agulto and vice-chancellor for Academic Affairs Josephine de Luna hold office.
Calling for the resignation of the two school officials, about 30 students tried to enter the PGH compound but were stopped by the security guards.
The protesters called Agulto arrogant for ignoring calls for him to resign and accept accountability for the death of Tejada.
A petition for the resignation of Agulto and De Luna was circulated yesterday afternoon at UP-Manila.
Professor Edberto Villegas, who says he is an adviser of the students, said the general sentiment of the faculty is to push for the resignation of Agulto and De Luna.
Agulto called a press conference at past noon yesterday and announced the order of Pascual lifting the no late payment policy.
Members of the UP Collegian, UP’s school paper, were barred by security guards from entering the conference room.
“I am enjoining all chancellors to allow a reasonable amount of time for registration and payment of fees,†reads Pascual’s memorandum.
“Just to make it clear, this means that the no late payment policy has been lifted and any student with financial constraints will no longer have any problems with regard to tuition fee payment deadlines,†it added.
Agulto said the students and faculty members wanted Tejada’s body to be brought to the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences on Friday for a mass in her honor.
Asked to comment on the call for his resignation, Agulto said the press release says it all.
“(Agulto) is an arrogant person who doesn’t really care for the welfare of the students and UP in general. All he wants is to show his toughness and please his benefactors and show them that he is in total control of the university,†said a faculty member of the Department of Behavioral Sciences who requested anonymity.
Bigger budget
Meanwhile, UP officials said a legislated increase in the university’s budget could solve the problem on tuition.
Tony Leachon, director of the UP-Manila Information, Publications and Public Affairs, told UP president Pascual that there is a disparity between the needs of the students for lower tuition and the capability of the school to finance quality education.
The budget for state universities and colleges (SUCs) in 2013 was increased but most of it went to the salaries of teachers and infrastructure and a smaller portion went to the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) of UP, Leachon told Pascual in a message, a copy of which was given to The STAR.
“We might need a comprehensive education reform bill to sustain the level of education on human resources, infrastructure, student benefits and cultural change initiatives,†Leachon said.
Pascual said UP needs a commitment from Malacañang to provide the university with more funds.
He prodded Leachon to push for a new law to be passed by Congress to ensure the sustainability of the quality of education that UP is providing its students.
Call for sobriety
Malacañang urged the public yesterday to deal with the matter in a sober manner.
In a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Aquino administration had increased the budget for state universities and colleges but tuition policy would be crafted and implemented by the SUCs themselves.
Lacierda said the death of Tejada was an unfortunate incident, underscoring an internal policy of the UP school system. But the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has asked the different SUCs to look into their policies as well.
“As in any situation, we need to look at the facts first… but let’s deal with it calmly and with sobriety so that we can provide solutions rather than emotional responses,†Lacierda said.
“Understandably, it is a painful experience but it has to be resolved through sobriety and studying the policies within their school system,†he said.
Lacierda said the government could not be accused of being remiss in its duty to protect the students because the administration has continuously strived for a greater budget for education.
He said that last year the budget was raised for SUCs, especially UP.
Lacierda said this was the reason there were no protest rallies against the government in connection with the budget for SUCs.
“Now, this is an internal policy of the UP system. So we leave it with the UP to review their policies. It’s up to them to answer that issue,†Lacierda said.
Even if the increase in budget for SUCs supposedly went to teachers’ salaries, infrastructure as well as maintenance and other operating expenses, Lacierda said there were a lot of scholarship programs that CHED offers.
“For instance, we’ve got scholarships for bright Filipino students whose general weighted average is 90 percent and above. The financial benefit is P30,000 per annum. We’ve got grants-in-aid for bright Filipino students whose general average is 85 to 89 percent scholars and the grant is P15,000 per annum,†Lacierda said.
“Then, we have also what we call ‘Tulong Dunong’ study grant programs for solo parents and their dependents; national integration study grant program for members of the cultural minority groups; selected ethnic group education assistance program for the members of the hill tribes,†he added.
He said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and CHED also provide study grant program intended for former rebels and the legitimate dependents.
He said there is the Department of National Defense-CHED-PASUC (Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges) study grant program for qualified dependents of soldiers killed in action, those discharged for disabilities, and active soldier. CHED also has a special study grant program for congressional districts.
Lacierda said these programs have been implemented. There are also student loans extended to poor but deserving students entering college.
“What we’re saying is that we have improved the budget as well of the SUCs. At the same time, we leave it with the SUCs to determine how they manage their policies regarding tuition,†he said.
More protests
Members of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) staged a rally at the Don Chino Roces Bridge near Malacañang and blamed President Aquino for reducing the education budget.
“Aquino’s meager allocation for education and permission for tuition increases even in state universities laid the conditions for Tejada’s suicide,†KMU official Roger Soluta said.
Soluta said Aquino refused to increase government subsidy for state universities like UP, which were forced to hike tuition and other fees.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said it would lead a protest action today in Manila to call for reforms in the country’s education system.
Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said the Aquino government failed to help Tejada and the Filipino people.
“We refuse to accept the status quo and we protest this government’s abandonment of the people,†Reyes said.
An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday said the death of Tejada should serve as a wake-up call to the voters in selecting the candidates they should elect in the May polls.
In an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) executive secretary Fr. Kunegundo Garganta said that voters should consider the death of Tejada when they choose their candidates.
Garganta said that Tejada’s death saddened him.
“She was like a sacrificial lamb,†he said.
The CBCP official admitted that the Catholic Church has a big role to play in helping teenagers cope with their problems.
“Maybe we should also increase our campus ministry or be given permission to do our activities inside the school,†Garganta said.
Former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar called for a review of the policies of SUCs as well as the other educational institutions in the country.
“What happened to Kristel is very regrettable especially since she was enrolled in a government-subsidized institution mandated to provide high quality education to poor but deserving students,†Villar said. – With Aurea Calica, Mayen Jaymalin, Rhodina Villanueva, Marvin Sy