Youth groups urge Supreme Court to stop tuition hikes

MANILA, Philippines -  The Kabataan Party-list and several youth groups asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to stop the implementation of the newly-approved tuition hikes in 354 tertiary schools nationwide.

 

In the petition for certiorari, mandamus and prohibition filed on Wednesday, the youth groups asked the high court to declare as invalid the tuition increases and other fees for failure to being subjected to “reasonable regulation and supervision” as required by the 1987 Constitution.

 

"This time around, we are determined to put an end to illegal and unconstitutional tuition increases once and for all by exhausting all means – both legally and in the parliamentary of the streets,” said lawyer Terry Ridon, Kabataan Party-list president and counsel for the petitioners.

 

The petition questions the constitutionality of the two bases for the approval of the tuition hikes -- Sec. 42 of Batas Pambansa (BP) No. 232 or the Education Act of 1982 and the Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 3 series of 2012.

 

It also calls on the Supreme Court to declare invalid all increases in tuition and other school fees that were based on the BP 232 and CMO 3 even in the past years.

 

“Policies that merely serve as a stamp pad for approving hikes and are powerless in controlling the actual tuition rate in the country are unconstitutional and should therefore be expunged, with tuition hikes approved using the said policies rendered illegal,” Ridon said.

 

Among the respondents for the case are the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and several universities that increased tuition for the incoming academic year.

 

Earlier this week, CHED approved 354 out of 451 tuition hike applications. The government, however, said these hikes are "justified".

 

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the tuition hikes were approved after CHED screened the tertiary schools' financial statements.

 

"Isang buwan po nilang tiningnan 'yung mga presentation nitong mga HEI na ito para makita kung justified naman 'yung kanilang tuition fee increase. That's the same with [the] Department of Education," said Valte.

 

She added that consultations with stakeholders were also held.

 

"Just to give you an idea of how the process is done, they're asked to submit their financial statements and documentation as proof that the parents were consulted when it came to the matter of their increases. So binabantayan po 'yan at tinitingnan ng DepEd at ng CHED kung saan po napupunta, kung sakaling binigyan po sila ng increase last year, kung saan po 'yon napunta," Valte explained.

 

Aside from the 354 private universities and colleges, 903 elementary and high schools will also raise tuition when the school year opens next week.

 

Related story: Tuition, other fees up in 1,257 schools