Unlikely allies for education?

A day before the scheduled national student walkout, students have secured the support of an unlikely ally, the administration officials of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

“Today we march united with the PUP administration to call on President Aquino to deliver on his promises to state higher education. Our plight among all SUCs is the most desperate – our ceilings are destroyed, we have no new chairs, there is flooding at the top floor of the PUP Main building.” This was the statement of Cheyser Soriano, Chairperson of the PUP Student Council, and one of the student leaders that had been charged with robbery by the PUP administration.

Early this year, PUP students and administration officials had several skirmishes over the latter’s plan to raise tuition from P12 per unit to P200 per unit, that had sparked militant protest actions inside PUP grounds, including the symbolic burning of destroyed and decaying wooden seats and tables. The PUP administration on the other hand, had charged PUP student leaders with robbery when the students took from school grounds dilapidated chairs for display at the Commission on Higher Education to draw attention to PUP’s plight. PUP officials had since withdrawn the robbery charge.

On the other hand, Terry Ridon, national chairperson of the League of Filipino Students, challenged President Aquino to decisively address the demands of the students.

“It seems the President is only interested in making propaganda points with media, without seriously addressing the most important issues of the day, such as our education.” Ridon was apparently referring to Mr. Aquino’s public scolding of the obviously underfunded PAGASA for failing to provide updated weather bulletins during the recent storm Basyang.

Ridon said that PUP has more than fifty thousand enrollees in all its campuses around the country but had been seriously underfunded by the previous Arroyo government that the PUP administration was left with no choice but to refuse to enroll close to four thousand ‘poor but deserving’ students.

“These are significant education access data which cannot be taken lightly by the Aquino administration. It must act swiftly and with results if it is indeed serious about its message of genuine change for our people. Hope in this administration is evaporating fast within the ranks of the students.”