On the day of the final reading of the 2011 General Appropriations Act in Senate, thousands of youth, students, administrators, faculty and staff all over the Philippines held protest actions—candle lighting ceremonies, pickets, walkouts, campouts, vigils, rallies and strikes—against the cut on the budget of State Universities and Colleges.

Weeks and even months before, protests against the SUC budget cut already started. A week did not pass without a picket or protest rally held, crying out for higher state subsidy to education. To this, the Aquino administration responded with lies and deception. But the unity of everyone against the budget cut did not waver. After a successful 2-day national strike on the 25^th and 26^th of November, thousands yet again took to the streets on December 1, forcing the Senate to make a move.

This was the statement of Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut mass distributed days before December 1.

December 1: We March as One

We salute and congratulate the thousands of students, councils and organizations, educators, faculty unions and associations, employees and administrators in state schools nationwide who made history last week in a resounding expression of unity and commitment to oppose the planned budget cuts on education and social services.

We stood up, walked out and striked, not only for ourselves and our schools. We fought for right of every Filipino to education. We suspended our classes so that more students may be able to study. We barricaded our campus gates for days so that our schools may be open to more young people especially the poor.

We took action for the nation, and for the future. We lived up to being genuine iskolars ng bayan.

We expressed disgust over the fact that the government chose to fund debt servicing, pork barrel and military over education and other social sevices. We striked against injustice, against government neglect, against corruption. We called upon those in power to stand for the interests of the people and not the elite few.

Instead of heeding the people’s call, the Aquino government and its allies insult the people’s intelligence by responding with lies and lame excuses. These however, only serve to expose their criminal intentions. They provoke further our collective outrage by saying that tuition should be hiked to compensate for budget cuts, that tertiary education is a private good, and that SUCs should be abolished.

They arrogantly display their power and greed; they try to tell us that we can do nothing to stop their misdeeds. Through their grand lies, they wish to drown us in apathy, divide us and undermine our collective strength. They want us to abandon our fight, surrender and join them in betraying the interest of the Filipino people.

We will not be cowed. We have a duty to our nation and we have a future to fight for.

We are calling on all students, professors, administrators from state schools, private schools and high schools nationwide. We are calling on out-of-school youths, already injusticed by the current system. We are calling on Filipinos, workers, peasants who will be pushed into further destitution. On December 1, we march as one.

Let it not be said that we did nothing the day a few robbed the people of their rights, their hope, and their future.

Para sa bayan, para sa kinabukasan.

Ipagtagumpay ang laban.

KILOS NA LABAN SA BUDGET CUT!

Here are the pictures from different Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut formations nationwide!

Students from different units of the University of the Philippines System held mass actions to protest the SUC budget cut.

State universities and colleges in Iloilo also joined the national protest last December 1.

Mindanao State University also joined the protest.

In Davao City, UP Mindanao together with the University of South Eastern Philippines held a strike and temporarily paralyzed main thoroughfares.

Here are the pictures from the December 1 Senate Mobilization:

Hailing from different State Universities and Colleges in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon, students, faculty, administrators and staff marched to the senate.

Everyone sat in front of the Senate gates to listen to the insightful speeches of Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut leaders and allies.

UP Faculty regent Judy Taguiwalo giving a speech on the necessity for the youth to further their study of society in order to uproot its ills.

Senate Minority Leader Senator Allan Peter Cayetano updating about the developments in senate.

Congressman Raymond Palatino and Congressman Antonio Tinio joined the march to senate

Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut spokesperson Vencer Crisostomo giving a passionate speech, calling on the youth to act not only against the SUC budget cut but for social change.

An estimated 25,000 youth, students, faculty, staff and administrators joined the protest nationwide.

Here is the Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut statement released after December 1.

<h1>Advance our initial victory! Persist in the struggle against the budget cut! </h1>

We, the youth together with other sectors, have achieved an initial yet significant victory through our firm solidarity and collective action against the budget cuts to our State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

On December 1, 2010, our massive national strike against the SUC budget cuts has forced the Senate to amend the 2011 national budget by allocating a P146-M increase for the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of our SUCs. This was made possible by the thousands of youth, teachers, administrators, and staff who intensely engaged the Aquino government with vibrant education protests.

As an attempt to break our growing and dynamic unity, the Aquino government and its cohorts have spun the lie that no actual SUC budget cut exists. But we have sharply countered such manic lie with critical thinking and passionate assertion. We have thus exposed the deceit of the Aquino government and its brazen plan to abandon the SUCs to utter destitution.

We have ascertained that Aquino’s “reform budget,” in truth, is no different from, if not worse than, the budget of the rotten Arroyo regime. For both, the same holds true: budget cuts to education and other social services amid billions of pesos given to congressional pork barrel, military defense spending, conditional cash dole-outs, and foreign debt servicing.

By itself, the P146-M additional budget is insufficient in substantially addressing the urgent concerns of the SUCs – deteriorating conditions, lack of facilities and equipment, low salaries, inadequate benefits and contractualization policies for the faculty and staff, and the imminence of tuition and other fee increase. Such additional budget in fact will only amount to P1.3-M if divided among all 112 SUCs. On the other hand, the budget for Capital Outlay (CO) remains close to zero.

Hence, the fight for our right to education is certainly not yet over. We must not succumb to complacency on account of our initial victory. Recently, the Aquino government has reiterated its State policy that support for SUCs will be gradually decreased. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) head Butch Abad, on the other hand, foretells the reduction in the number of the SUCs. These call for utmost vigilance and militancy.

In the immediate is the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) meeting of the Senate and the Congress which is set to finalize the 2011 national budget.  The Bicameral meeting is yet another opening for us students, teachers, administrators and staff to assert the removal of the budget cuts to the SUCs.

Our allies in the Senate and the Congress shall do their best to press their colleagues to stand in defense of our right to education by completely removing the cuts in the MOOE and CO of the SUCs.

More crucial, however, is that we arouse, organize and mobilize with greater fervor and broader unity in preparation for the Bicameral meeting. We have already proven something grand and historic – that genuine change is possible if we are united, if we are resolute and if we are militant in fighting for our rights and for our future.

So we shall continue the fight. And we shall be thousands upon thousands more as we advance to greater victories.

Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut!

News reports on December 1:

Students storm senate over budget cut on State Universities and Colleges

Palawan State University protests against SUC budget cut

Students protesting budget cuts on State Universities and Colleges

Groups troop to senate in protest of the SUC budget cut

Students storm senate over SUC budget cuts

Rallyists burn Pnoy Effigy

Aquino booed students protest SUC budget cut

For more updates on the budget fight, follow #PHstudentstrike on twitter!

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We are calling on all students, councils and organizations, educators, faculty unions and associations, employees and administrators of state schools nationwide to hold mass protest activities, walkouts, class stoppages and campus strikes starting November 22.

We deem it necessary to hold bigger and more effective actions to express our opposition to the
• budget cut for the operations of 97 state universities and colleges by a total of P1.1 billion,
• zero allotment of capital outlay for our SUCs,
• reduction in the scholarship funds of the Commission on Higher Education by P650 million, and
• inadequate funds for basic education in the Aquino administration’s 2011 budget.

We need to act now to stop budget cuts in education and other social services. The cuts will lead to skyrocketing tuition and other fees and commercialization of social services, which will result to a greater number of Filipinos being driven into further destitution.

We worked hard during the past months to appeal to government and our lawmakers to stand for the interest of the people. However, Aquino allies in Congress railroaded the approval of the 2011 budget, increasing in billions the pork barrel funds, dole-outs and patronage funds, budget for military and debt spending. They maintained the cuts in education and services.

Clearly, we need to escalate our protests as Senate is set to vote on the budget. Students, faculty, employees, administrators, and other stakeholders should build the broadest and widest possible unity in our campuses for the people’s right to education.

Assemblies and protests in our campuses must be conducted for several days and may take the form of big marches, sit-in protests, class walk-outs, etc. Stoppage of the operations of our campuses for several days and closure of classrooms and buildings will be a logical consequence brought about by the participation of large numbers of students and faculty.

We are calling for a culmination of the activities to a big protest march to the Senate on December 1 to deliver the strongest message against the education and social services budget cuts.

We owe it to the Filipino people. We owe it to the future generation. It is during these times that the youth are being called to take up its role as hope of our motherland.

During the coming days let us make history and declare: we are ON STRIKE for the right to education, for the sake of our nation and our future.

Para sa bayan, para sa kinabukasan.
Kilos na laban sa budget cuts!

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MANILA, Philippines—Militant youth groups hurled paint bombs at the gates of the House of Representatives Wednesday as they protested budget cuts in education.

The National Union of Students of the Philippines, along with members of the League of Filipino Students, ANAKBAYAN, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines and College Editors of the Philippines, trooped to the House of Representatives to protest what they called as President Benigno Aquino’s “Anti-People” budget.

The House of Representatives passed the 2011 budget on third and final reading Monday.

“We believe that this administration is walking the path of state abandonment of education, of social services,” said LFS head Terry Ridon, stating that the budget cut for state universities and colleges would not only affect today’s youth but future students as well.

“Expect more militant actions,” said ANAKBAYAN spokesperson Charisse Banez, adding they would continue staging rallies to protest the reduced education budget.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101110-302475/Students-troop-to-Batasan-to-protest-education-budget-cuts

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June 10: Sinalubong ng mga mag-aaral ng protesta ang pagbubukas ng klase

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June 19: Namanata ang mga kabataan na magiging pag-asa ng bayan sa araw ni Rizal

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