The Filipino Student

Tragedy of Errorsor Manipulation?

PUP Students’Collective Victory!

Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-asa!A vow of Vigilance

2 | COVERSTORY 9 | FEATURES5 | CAMPUSWATCH

JUNE - JULY 2015

THE FILIPINO STUDENT JUNE - JULY 2015

[Editor in Chief] John Clifford Sibayan, [Staff] Jecon Dreisbach, Benedict Opinion. Sarah Elago, Marko Matibag, Lovely Carbon, Sheryl Alapad, Ines Adavan [Technical Support] Mykel Andrada

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The Filipino Student is the Official publication of the National Union of Students of the Philippines.

A member of Altermidya, an alternative media advocacy group that promotes grassroots media work and journalism, media workers rights, and advancement of people’s struggles.

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THE COVER

NUSP’s The Filipino Student is also accepting letters to the editor and announcements. All contributions and other works are subject to the publication’s editorial policies. All member student councils/govern-ments of the NUSP may send their statements, manifestos and cam-paigns for possible inclusion in our print or online publications! So what are you waiting for! Push na yan!

“Puro school grades ang ating binabanatan, habang yong

3,000 batang mga Lumad mula Mindanao ay walang schools

kasi kinukubkob ng mga pasistang militar ang kanilang

paaralan!”

Prof. Gerry LanuzaUP Diliman

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“Our country is not yet debt-free, poverty-free, crime-free,

or corruption-free. So what are we free from exactly and why

do we celebrate it?”

Lea SalongaSinger / Artist

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“...But in the words of the romantic revolutionary Che

Guevara — a true revolutionary is guided by a strong feeling

of love. I now have that strong feeling of love. I am guided. And

together we will continue to serve the people!”

Mico PangalananUP Student Regent

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““The favorable decisions regularizing GMA talents and Tanduay contractual workers

should serve as inspiration to all working people, especially

contractuals laboring under exploitative conditions, that if they organize themselves and collectively struggle for their

rights, and unite with the rest of the exploited and oppressed

people, they will win. Even if they lose today, the future is

bright for the working people of this country.””

Kenneth GudaEditor in Chief, pinoyweekly.org

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The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) is one with the Filipino people in assert-ing for genuine independence and in defending Philippine sovereign-ty this 117th year of “bogus” inde-pendence. We do not celebrate this “nom-inal independence day.” We pro-test the continued adherence of the Philippine government to the imperialist dictates of the Unit-ed States (US) government. We protest the Chinese government’s blatant disregard and disrespect of our sovereignty. It is our duty and responsibility as nationalists to end the Philip-pines’ dependence to the US and to end the aggression of the Chi-nese government over our waters and territories. The Chinese government has been aggresively claiming the Spratlys. Chinese patrol boats have even water-cannoned Fili-pino fisherfolks in Scarborough or Panatag Shoal. It has occupied Mischief Reef. This encroachment by the Chi-

nese government has, quite pre-dictably, earned the interest of the US. The US intervention does not mean friendship with the Phil-ippines. In fact, it really simply means deflecting Chinese pres-ence to ensure US imperialist plundering in the West Philippine Sea. That is why, now more than ever, NUSP decries this encroachment of our sovereignty. We reiterate that we do not need a government that kowtows to US hegemony. 117 years of slavery to the US are enough! We reiterate the necessi-ty to assert our territories in the West Philippine Sea amidst Chi-na’s bullying. NUSP strongly avers that the Philippines has been placed in a “no win situation” between two gigantic rocks of foreign pow-er: China on one hand, and US on the other. Yet, we do not need to choose between the two. Our one choice: defy their he-gemonies, defend our sovereign-ty and whole-heartedly serve the people. End dependence day! #

End Dependence Day!Defend Philippine Sovereignty! Hands-Off China and US!

Since its establishment in 1957, the National Union of Students

of the Philippines (NUSP) is a nation-wide alliance of student

councils/governments/unions committed to the advancement

of the students’ democratic rights and welfare.


CoverStory

Tragedy of Errors or ManipulationCHED’s erroneous average increases maliciously lower tuition & OSF hikes impacts

The student union condemns in the highest possible degree the Commission on Higher Educa-tion’s (CHED) mediocrity, lack of credibility, irresponsibility, gross neglect of duty, and possible ma-nipulation of data regarding the tuition and other school fee hikes. Upon careful scrutiny, the Na-tional Union of Students of the Philippines’ (NUSP) Tuition Moni-tor revealed that CHED released erroneous and discrepant figures for the AY 2015-2016 national av-erage tuition increase (P29.86) and for the national average OSF increase (P135.60). CHED even went as far as saying that the average increases this upcoming year are lower than last AY 2014-2015’s average tuition increase (P35.66) and average OSF in-crease (P141.55). But the said figures are utterly wrong! NUSP figured that CHED seemed to be downplaying the hikes in the cost of private edu-cation. National Average Tuition In-crease is P37.47 per unit, not P29.86 NUSP’s Tuition Monitor discovered when it carefully re-computed the average tuition and other school fees increases that CHED’s national average fig-ures are lower than the actual and real national average tuition and OSF increases. CHED’s erroneous national average tuition hike of P29.86 has lowered by P7.61 the real national average tuition hike of P37.47. While in the national average OSF increase, CHED lowered by P76.60 the real national av-erage tuition hike of P212.20 to its P135.60. This can only be sur-mised as either gross negligence and mediocrity or blatant manip-ulation of data. Dividing the total tuition in-creases nationwide (P10,602.69) by the number of schools that in-creased tuition (283) will yield a national average tuition increase of P37.47, not P29.86 as CHED

claimed. It is thus appalling that CHED has lowered the national average tuition increase by P7.61. To get the real national aver-age OSF increase of P212.20, the total OSF increases nationwide (P44,986.63) will be divided by the number of schools that in-creased OSF (212). Appalling even more is the dubious and er-roneously lower national average OSF increase of CHED pegged at P135.60 as compared to the P212.20 real national average OSF increase. A whopping P76.60 data discrepancy is glaring. P611.23 is New National Av-erage Tuition; P60,000 to P80,000 per semesterThe new national average tuition increase of P37.47 shall be added to the existing national average tuition of P573.76, yielding an all-time high of P611.23 per unit in na-tional average tuition. This means that a student carry-ing a regular 30-unit load will need P18,336.90 in tuition fees alone. Add to this the range of P15,000 to P25,000 in other school fees, or a P20,000 OSF average, and other expenses such as books, school materials, supplies, transporta-tion and communications expens-es, uniform, food, and housing, among others, a regular Filipino student needs an average of P60,000 to P80,000 per semes-ter, or P120,000 to P160,000 per year for schools with two semes-ters. But the P60,000 to P80,000 may be tripled for PHEIs with tri-mestral schemes and quadrupled for PHEIs with quarter-semestral scheme. Five of CHED’s Regional Aver-ages are ErroneousIn addition, NUSP also found out that five of CHED’s comput-ed regional averages of tuition increase and other school fees (OSF) increase are highly errone-ous. These have a large impact not only on CHED’s released national average tuition and OSF increase (continued to page 7)


CampusWatchBaguio - Benguet schools vs Aquino’s educ deregulation

The National Union of Stu-dent of the Philippines (NUSP) Baguio-Benguet formation condemns the approval of tuition and other school fees (OSF) increase proposals of 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the said region for the academic year 2015-2016 despite numerous complaints filed by the students. Last March, youth organiza-tions led by NUSP and the Rise for Education Alliance filed com-plaints against these schools that proposed to increase fees. The said complaint documents the concrete experiences of students regarding their dilapidated facil-ities and the inefficient delivery of school services despite the yearly increases and the millions of profit that their schools col-lect each year. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has once again proven its subservience to private HEIs due to its incapacity in regulating hikes as well as monitoring the implementation of its memoranda. CHED has approved the application of six universities and colleges in Baguio City, two from la Trinidad, one in Tabuk City, Kalinga and one from Bangued, Abra ranging from 0.64% to 20% increases in tuition and OSF. The CHED regional office, in an attempt to confuse student leaders, said that the approval of increase proposals lies in the hands of the CHED national office. Clearly, the regional office is washing their hands off their accountability in front of the students while approving another round of increases. Private HEI’s often increase tuition affecting incoming freshmen to go around CHED Memo 13 series of 2012 that obliges schools to conduct consultations. Without the af-fected year level, school adminis-trations can just increase tuition and get more profit without the democratic participation of affected students and without an explanation for new increases. Saint Louis University (SLU)

will increase by 101 .71 pesos per unit in tuition on incoming fresh-men. Baguio School of Business and Trade (BSBT) College will increase by 11.82 pesos per unit for tuition and 82 pesos per unit

for OSF. Meanwhile, the Univer-sity of Baguio (UB) will impose a 37.6-peso increase per unit on tuition and 6.05 pesos per unit for OSF. The University of the Cordilleras (UC) will implement

an increase of 32.75 pesos per unit on tuition and 16.82 pesos per unit for miscellaneous fees. STI College will impose 42.19 pesos per unit for tuition and 19 pesos per unit for miscellaneous fees, and Pines City Colleges (PCC) will implement 25.4 pesos increase per unit for tuition and 10.33 pesos per unit for other school fees. Further, the two La Trinidad-based colleges, Kings College of the Philippines will impose 5 pesos per unit in tuition for incoming freshmen and the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) will be imple-menting an increase on its tuition fee for incoming freshmen by 1.75 per unit. On the other hand, Abra Valley Colleges in Bangued, Abra will be increasing its tuition by 11.10 pesos per unit on tuition and 16 pesos per unit for other school fees and Tabuk City-based Cordil-lera A+ Computer Tech College will be imposing a 23.8-peso per unit increase on tuition and 28 pesos per unit to their corre-sponding miscellaneous school fees for incoming freshmen. Further, CHED has no comment regarding this tactic. Schools such as SLU, UC and UB collect not lower than 100 million pesos every year which is enough for them to operate and collect profit for the next five years. Despite huge profits , these schools provide low -uality facilities and services to their students and faculty. This shows that the high cost of education does not necessarily translate to quality education. The callous approval of tuition and other school fees is clear indication of the abandonment of the Aquino administration to our right to education. The students and youth of the Cordillera see that Aquino’s steps in intensi-fying the commercialization of Philippine education calls for more vigilant mass actions to push for accountability in today’s deregulated Philippine educa-tional system. #

Save our School!save lumad schools!


CampusWatch

Students hold protest vs tuition, OSF increases, K to 12

The National Union of Stu-dents of the Philippines (NUSP), together with Rise for Education Alliance and other youth and student groups, launched on June 1, 2015 the campaign “First Day Fight.” Critical of the intensified commercialization and privatiza-tion of education, #FirstDayFight divulges the ill effects of tuition and other school fees (OSF) in-creases and the K to 12 program. #FirstDayFight is NUSP’s re-sounding call to stop and junk the K to 12 program. Imagine where an additional million secondary high school students will go since

#FirstDayFight

PUP Students’ Collective VictoryPUP students successfully junk exorbitant fees such as the P1,200 memorabilia fee and the P500 Alumni Fee (RCBC Card)

Students led by the Office of the Student Regent (OSR) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), together with student councils, mass orga-nizations and the Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA), triumphed over ex-orbitant and dubious fees being collected by the PUP administra-tion. In particular, the students were able to successfully junk the P1,200 memorabilia fee and the P500-worth Alumni Fee / RCBC card that contains only P10. The memorabilia and alumni fees were unjustly collected as requisites for clearance for graduation. In addition, the PUP administration, despite the year-ly collection of the memorabilia fee, has not released any memo-rabilia since 2007. The students did not take this sitting down and touted the collections as outright profiteering. The OSR said that this initial victory of PUP students will fur-ther strengthen the call to junk other school fees (OSF), tuition increases and the deregulation of

education of the Aquino adminis-tration. The P1,200 memorabilia fee and the P500 alumni fee are part of the OSF in PUP which amounts to P3,646. According to Jess Ferrera, Student Regent and President of Sentral na Konseho ng mga Mag-aaral ng PUP, student councils together with mass organizations will intensify the campaign to put a stop to the collection of the remaining OSF and to frustrate any efforts by the PUP admin-istration to increase and/or implement new OSF. The National Union of Stu-dents of the Philippines (NUSP) said that the PUP students’ mil-itant and collective actions only show that there is not a mountain of monstrosity of corruption, commercialization and injustices that the students, together with the youth and the Filipino people, cannot take down. The union, together with the student leaders and the broad alliance of students in PUP, vow to intensify the fight versus exor-bitant and other school fees. #

they cannot be accomodated by the Department of Education (DepEd)! In fact, in the National Capital Region (NCR), nine out of ten senior high schools (SHS) are private, while only 2 out of 10 public schools will offer SHS. They will be consigned to take on the high cost of private senior high education! “The path that DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the BS Aquino III administration lead us to is the path towards privatization and commercialization. Education as a commodity and privilege is being peddled by the Aquino ad-

ministration, much to the disdain of the students and parents,” stresses Sarah Elago, NUSP National President. “In the basic and secondary levels of schooling, more than 1,200 applications for tuition fee increase were approved by DepEd. In the tertiary level, more than 300 applications for tuition and OSF increases were approved by CHED. Among the justifications cited by these schools was for the adoption and implementation of the K to 12 program. This reason clearly speaks louder than a lion: K to 12 is synonymous to tuition and OSF

increases,” raises Elago. Aquino, touting the legitimate concerns of the people as mere rants, said “Minsan ho talaga ang mga kritiko natin, sila lang talaga ang anak ng Diyos; sila lang ang magaling. Kaya bahala na ang Diyos sa kanila.” NUSP reacted to Aquino’s tirades and said that “Ang mga tinutuya niyang anak ng Diyos ay ang mga anak ng Bayan na magpapatalsik sa kaniya!” NUSP also emphasized that the increase in tuition rates and the lack of public schools to accommodate students would only mean one of the two things: (1) be forced to study in a private school offering, or (2) be part of the sad statistics of the strato-spheric number of dropouts and out of school youth. #

LUMAD CHILDREN are out of their schools and into the streets not to beg but to protest and fight for their right to education. Government foot sol-diers turned their schools into military camps.Photo by: Save Our School Network

& 7 THE FILIPINO STUDENT JUNE - JULY 2015

CoverStory

RISE for Education!More than 130 student councils, pubs, orgs vow to stop tuition deregulation, school fees hikes

As of today, more than 130 student councils / governments, publications, organizations and other youth and student for-mations in the country, and still counting, have signed the man-ifesto against tuition and other school fees (OSF) increases and BS Aquino III’s education dereg-ulation. Spearheaded by the National Union of Students of the Phil-ippines (NUSP) and the Rise for Education (R4E) Alliance, the manifesto continues to unite stu-dents across the country to fight for their right to education and against the high cost of educa-tion. “We urge the Aquino adminis-tration and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to im-plement a tuition moratorium, re-peal the Education of Act of 1982, and stop the deregulated tuition in the country,” says Sarah Elago, NUSP National President and R4E Convenor. Aquino and CHED remain deaf to the call of students and par-ents, despite the fact of the ba-looning number of dropouts and out of school youth in the country.

Elago exclaims, “It is enrag-ing that CHED, aside from being a stamp pad of tuition and OSF increases, has not genuinely rec-tified its errors in computing for the national average tuition and OSF increases. Despite knowing that its formula is erroneous, CHED remains to use it in order to lower the national average in-creases in tuition and OSF. That is just blatant disservice to the students!” NUSP pointed out the trage-dy of errors and manipulation of CHED’s data. The NUSP compu-tation showed that the national average tuition increase is P37.47 per unit, while the national aver-age other school fee increase is P213.03. But the CHED compu-tation showed that the national average tuition increase is only P31.61 per unit, while the other school fee increase is P169.04. CHED maintains that their computation of the national av-erage tuition and OSF increases are lower – but using a highly er-roneous formula. CHED took the sum of all regional averages and divided this by the total number of regions in the country, even

the regions that did not increase tuition and OSF. This is an errone-ous formula as it will really result to lower national average tuition and OSF increases. “We can only surmise that CHED does this erroneous com-putation outrightly in order to make it appear that the increases in tuition and OSF are lower. But in reality, the increases are much higher,” explains Elago. #

“We urge the Aquino administration and the

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to implement a tuition

moratorium, repeal the Education of Act of 1982, and stop the deregulated

tuition in the country,”

& 7 THE FILIPINO STUDENT JUNE - JULY 2015

for AY 2015-2016, but also on the credibility and responsibility of CHED as a supposed strict com-mission that evaluates, handles and decides on education matters such as the cost of education. The commission did not only approve unjust and dubious tui-tion and OSF increases despite verified complaints from stu-dents. Moreover, the commission has brazenly shown how medio-

cre and irresponsible it is despite its claims that it was strict in de-ciding tuition and OSF hike appli-cations. CHED released last May 18, 2015 a list of approved tuition and other school fees increases for AY 2015-2016. In the said list, CHED averaged per region the tuition increase and the other school fees increase. However, computing for the average is a simple process, which interest-ingly, CHED failed to accomplish without errors!

HOW TO COMPUTE FOR THE RE-GIONAL AVERAGE:1. Get the total by adding all the amounts/figures of tuition in-crease (or OSF increase) per re-gion.

2. Get the average by dividing the total by the number of schools (per region) that increased tuition (or OSF).

Region I has 13 schools that in-creased tuition and nine schools that increased OSF. Based on this table, the average tuition increase in Region I is P28.83. CHED added all the tuition in-crease figures then divided the total by 13, the number of schools that increased tuition in Region I. For the average OSF increase for Region I, CHED supposedly applied the same process of aver-aging that resulted to an errone-ous OSF average of P465.53 for Region I. NUSP reworked the Region I data of CHED. (See Figure 2) This reworking yielded that CHED made a drastic error in comput-ing for the average OSF increase of Region I. Instead of P465.53, the correct average OSF increase in Region I is P497.74 (total OSF increases divided by nine, the number of schools that increased OSF). CHED’s average OSF in-crease computation has a P32.21 discrepancy.

NUSP’s Tuition Monitor Study reviewed the whole May 18, 2015 CHED list. The study revealed how mediocre and unreliable CHED is. The students are enraged by CHED’s gross negligence. The dis-crepancies or differences in the figures and amounts the students of PHEIs are asked to pay ulti-mately reveal that this commis-sion is no more than a stamp pad of tuition and other school fees increases. The errors or possible manip-ulation of data by CHED speak volumes of the kind of education system we have in the country. Erroneous or manipulated data tell of how unbelievably irrespon-sible and devoid of credibility this Commission is, and how CHED merely affirms the whims and ca-prices of the capitalist educators. Now, more than ever, in the face of these incredible errors by CHED, the illegal approvals by CHED of unjust, dubious, exorbi-tant, redundant and inhumane tu-ition and other school fees, a tu-ition moratorium is imperative. #

Tragedy of Errors or ManipulationCHED’s erroneous average increases maliciously lower tuition & OSF hikes impacts (continued from page 3)


Feature

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) is one with the LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersexed) community in the call for genuine equality, a stop to violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and the forward-ing that LGBTQI rights are not only gender/sexual rights, but are human rights.

NUSP strongly believes that the LGBTQI struggle is not divorced from the socio-political and class struggle. LGBTQI rights are human rights – and these are part of the call of the masses of people for genuine liberation and emancipa-tion.

NUSP firmly believes that the “Pride March” is both an occa-sion of assertion and a practice of protest. It is an assertion that the LGBTQI community is a strong community and part of the nation’s struggles. It is a protest against practices and policies that are prejudicial to and violative of the rights of the LGBTQI commu-nity – in homes, schools, churches, workplaces, establishments and agencies, communities and other locuses of struggles.

NUSP strongly supports Bayan Muna’s Anti-Discrimination Bill which has already passed the committee level in Congress. The bill notes that “prejudicial practic-es and policies – mostly unstated and unwritten – based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) severely limit the exercise and enjoyment of the basic rights and fundamental freedoms in schools, workplaces, commercial establishments, the civil service, even the security services.”

Furthermore, NUSP brings to the fore that the struggles of the students and youth belonging to the LGBTQI community are not confined to issues based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For the LGBTQI stu-

dents and youth are faced with the ever-worsening crisis of the Philippine education system – stratospheric tuition and other school fees, high rates of yearly dropouts and out of school youth, and deaths due to the inability to shoulder the high cost of educa-tion, among others.

LGBTQI students and youth are being discriminated inside the campuses – their rights as students are violated by stringent school policies against assertion of their SOGI, protests related to tuition and other school fees hikes, and other discriminatory policies.

But LGBTQI students and youth are fighting and unfaltering in their struggle, refusing to fall victims to this violent system.

NUSP, together with KAPEDERA-SYON Sectoral Organization and other student and youth groups, march not only with pride but with principled strength to defy all forms of discrimination and violence, all vile systems corrupt and inhumane – and with unity to build a new nation with genuine freedom, social justice and pro-gressive change. #

LGBTQI Fight with Pride, Fight with the People!

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“LGBTQI rights are human rights – and these are part of the call of the

masses of people for genuine liberation

and emancipation.”

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Feature

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), the largest and broadest alliance of more than 650 student councils / governments / federations in the country, remains steadfast and firm in Gat. Jose Rizal’s belief that the youth is the hope of the nation. Together with the masses of the Filipino people, the youth play a pivotal role in genuine social change and emancipation.

As we commemorate the birth of one of the young Filipino martyrs who fought against oppression and inequality, the student union, together with other progressive student and youth groups, reaf-firms its commitment in serving the people and in fighting for genuine national democracy.

In the midst of rampant cor-ruption, deception and lies, the Filipino youth and the Filipino people will remain vigilant. For it is imperative to be always critical especially that the Filipino nation is still in the hands of the ruling few that controls the nation’s wealth and politics. We have nothing to lose but the chains of oppresion and repression and we shall not falter in resisting this kind of culture and system.

From the past regimes up to the present BS Aquino III oligarchy, the word change has been an abused word utilized by despotic leaders that do not serve but rather betray the Filipino people. No genuine social change ema-nates from this rotten system. Contractualization, below and ihumane minimum wage, and violent attacks against labor rights abound in the working class sector, while landlessness and killings of peasants and farm workers abound. The youth suffer from skyrocketing tuition and other school fees increases, with dropouts and out of school youth reaching an all time high. An anemic framework for peace furthers government terrorism via militarization, extrajudicial

killings and wanton crackdown against progressive and militant groups. Political prisoners contin-ue to rise.

Slow, inadequate and privat-ized disaster “rehabilitation” programs doubly victimize the already victims and survivors of natural and man-made tragedies. The right to self determina-tion of indigeneous peoples is always threatened by aggressive privatization and militarization of their ancestral lands, with mining corporations killing the environment and the people. There is no justice as the corrupt pork barrel system remains in tact. The justice system is as selective and oppressive as ever. These are the reasons why it is imperative for the Filipino youth to align with the masses, to live their struggles, to be the hope of the country, to resist the tsunami of apathy and conservatism, and to be at the forefront of the movement for genuine and revo-lutionary change.

The country’s independence is illusory and our sovereignty is perennially under attack! We can no longer remain silent! It is hubris to put our trust in those hiding behind the ruling cliques’ and Aquino’s listless and empty rhetorics. We must realize, now more than ever, that the power of collective action can change the whole pick of the story and that everyday is a chance to defeat the game of the few.

“Tayo ang Pag-asa ng Bayan” is a constant and militant remider for every Filipino youth. It is a five-word theory and practice of vigilance. It is a word of unity against individualism and selfish ambition. It is a reminder to protect the interest of the students, youth and the margin-alized sectors. It is a vigilant vow to serve, protect and fight for the basic masses. #

Artwork by Kenneth Surillo

“Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa”A VOW OF VIGILANCE

“Tayo ang Pag-asa ng Bayan” is a constant and militant remider for every Filipino youth. It is a five-word theory and practice of vigilance. It is a word of unity against individualism and selfish ambition. It is a reminder to protect the interest of the students,

youth and the marginalized sectors. It is a vigilant vow to serve, protect and fight for the basic masses.

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NewsBriefsBangon para sa edukasyon sa lahat, laban sa neoliberalisasyon

Muling nagtipon ang mga lider-estudyanteng bumubuo sa Rise for Education (R4E) Alliance noong Hulyo 2, 2015 sa House of Representatives (HOR). Nagkaisa ang mga dumalo na magsagawa ng mga asembliya o pagtitipon sa kani-kanilang mga paaralan para palakasin ang kampanya laban sa pagtataas ng tuition at other school fees, at laban sa tumitin-ding represyon o pagsikil sa karapatan ng mga mag-aaral tulad ng freedom of speech at freedom of assembly. Dinaluhan ito ng De La Salle University – Manila, Uni-versity of the Philippines Diliman at Manila, Rizal Technological University, Eulogio Amang Ro-driguez Institute of Science and Technology, Far Eastern Universi-ty, at Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Nasa higit 130 na ang student councils at student publi-cations na pumirma sa “Manifesto of Unity Against Tuition and Other School Fees Increase,” kabilang na ang pagtutol sa deregulasyon at iba pang neoliberal na palisiya sa edukasyon. #

Eskwelahan para sa mga Lumad at panatang bumoto, tampok sa Social Media Day 2015

Lumahok sa Social Media Day 2015 noong Hunyo 27 sa Museo Pambata ang dalawang pro-gresibong organisasyon ng mga kabataan at mag-aaral, ang Rise for Education (R4E) Alliance at ang Kabataan Partylist. Tampok sa photo booth ng R4E ang kampa-nyang Save our Schools, partikular ang pagpapaalis sa mga militar na ginawang kampo ang mga community school ng mga Lumad sa Mindanao. Kabilang rin sa mga kampanya ng R4E ang pagpapa-hinto sa pagtaas ng matrikula at other school fees (OSF). Tampok naman sa booth ng Kabataan Partylist ang panata para magre-histro at bumoto sa darating

na 2016 National Elections, ang “Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa” – bitbit ang adyenda ng kabataan na edukasyon para sa lahat at para sa mga makabayan at makamasang programa. Tinatayang nasa hu-migit-kumulang 2,000 estudyante, kabataan at mga propesyunal ang dumalo sa Social Media Day 2015. #

EDJOP Educ Fest, Inilunsad

Inilunsad nitong Hulyo 3-4, 2015 sa College of Mass Communi-cation auditorium ng University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman

ang Edgar Jopson Educational Discussion Festival (Edjop ED Fest) ng National Union of Stu-dents of the Philippines (NUSP). Tinalakay nina Prop. Mykel Andrada ng PinoyMedia Center, Inc. at Sarah Elago, NUSP National President, ang “Student Power? Role of the Students & Youth in Nation-Building.” Tinalakay naman ang “Philippine Social Realities” o “Short Course on Philippine Society and Revolution” nina Marc Lino Abila, National President ng College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), Anna Patricia Santos ng Institute of Nationalist

Studies (INS) at Prop. Romeo De Vera, Education Program Coordi-nator ng Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER). Dinaluhan ito ng mga mag-aaral mula sa University of Santo Tomas, Arellano University, UP Diliman, Rizal Technological University, UP Manila, New Era University, at Polytechnic Univer-sity of the Philippines. Buong-taon ang Edjop ED Fest kung kaya sa mga nais na isagawa o dalhin ito sa kani-kanilang mga eskwelahan ay makipag-ugnayan lamang sa NUSP sa 0905-574-3812 o sa [email protected]. #

Throwback: Youth for Accountabilty and Truth Now (YAN) contingent in protest during BS Aquino III’s 2014 State of the Nation Address. The People’s SONA outside showed the real state of the nation.

PROVIEWPROGRESSIVE VIEW

FOR WE DO NOT NEED A KING, A HACIENDERO, a trigger-happy butcher, a puppet of his master, Uncle Sam. People mass up not to hail but to dethrone the despotic and corrupt. Photos by: Mykel Andrada of Pinoy Weekly


CampusWatchStudent Union Urges Fraternities & Other Groups:End Violence and Serve the Students and the People The National Union of Stu-dents of the Philippines (NUSP) condemns the recent incident of violence involving two frater-nities in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and calls on the UP administration for a speedy and impartial investiga-tion regarding the incident. We call on all student for-mations to join the rest of the Filipino students and youth in the reverberating call to end the cultures of violence and impunity. Violence among students and youth is not confined nor isolated to fraternities and sororities. Vi-olence is as harsh as our history and as diverse as our politics. To say that to abolish fraternities in order to end violence in the university is a myopic stand inept of the full view of the cultures of violence and impunity. What we must put an end to are not the fraternities but the cultures of violence and impunity entrenched in our schools, in our society, in our consciousness, traditions, politics and practices. The student union reiterates its position that violence should never be the basis for camara-derie, organization and unity. Violence has always been the tool of the oppressor as it involves the abuse of power. Violence has been used by the ruling cliques in and out of our universities, in and out of our country, to magnify control, to dictate and to lord over the masses. Violence has been used time and again by greedy capitalists and land-own-

ers to control the workers and farmers. Violence has been used by the patriarchal system to control women, the LGBTQI com-munity. Violence has been used by the fascist governments, (de facto) dictatorships, the reac-tionaries to control the people. We should learn and re-learn from history, as history has always been glaring at us. The cultures of violence and impunity have made victims out of the stu-dents, youth and the people. We need to revolutionize the way we think, feel and act – that is to say an overhaul of our belief systems and organization principles. This cycle of violence has to end – the violence of the backward, macho and feudal culture. For there can never be justice as long as the cultures of violence and impunity remain entrenched in our con-sciousness and in our society. We should resist being victims! NUSP calls on all fraternities, as well as on all student and youth organizations, to go back to the very principle of estab-lishing student formations – to genuinely serve the students and the people, to fight for meaning-ful and real change in our schools and society. NUSP, together with the UP Office of the Student Regent and the Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP (KASAMA SA UP) will not falter in campaigning to end violence and impunity and in ensuring a just investigation and resolution of this incident. #


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More than 70 public hospitals being pri-vatized by the BS Aquino III government via the Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Privatization of public hospitals alien-ates the majority of the impoverished Fili-pinos from healthcare, said the Health Al-liance for Democracy (HEAD) at Network Opposed to Privatization (NOP). P35 billion of the P102 billion Depart-ment of Health (DOH) funding is alloted for PhilHealth premiums. But only 40% to 60% is the actual Phil-Health beneficiaries instead of the 87% declaration of DOH. Out-of-pocket expenses of the Filipinos for healthcare increased to 58%. #

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Order No. 18-A Series of 2011 in-tensified contractualization in BS Aquino III’s term, according to the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). Non-regular employees increased to 30.5% in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics. Regular employees decreased from 72% (2008) to 56% (2012). “Endo” means “end of contract,” signify-ing contractualization. Kentex, Tanduay and GMA 7 workers are among the workers who are continuing their struggle against contractualization and unfair labor practices. #

Ang pangalan ng terorismo ng gobyer-nong Aquino ay Oplan Bayanihan. Sa tala noong Marso 2015 ng human rights organization na KARAPATAN, nasa 527 na ang bilanggong politikal sa bansa. Patuloy na dinarahas at minamanmanan ng mga elementong militar ang mga ak-tibista at progresibo. Iligal na dinakip at ngayo’y bilanggong politikal sina Randy Vegas, Raul Campo-sano, Sharon Cabusao, Adelberto Silva, at ang mga lider-kabataang sina Guiller Martin Cadano, Gerald Salonga, Maricon Montajes, at maraming iba pa. Kawalan ng maayos at responsableng pagtulong kay Mary Jane Veloso at sa iba pang Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) na nasa bingit ng kamatayan. #

Neoliberalization of education means privatizing and commercializing public or state education. Privatization comes in the form of tui-tion and other school fees increases. Education is geared towards producing cheap and docile labor, prime example is the K to 12 program with its technical-vo-cational centrality: many laborers for a cheap price to work for global companies abroad. In the basic and secondary levels, more than 1,200 applications for tuition fee increase were approved by DepEd. In the tertiary level, more than 300 appli-cations for tuition and other school fees increases were approved by the Commis-sion on Higher Education (CHED). P60,000 to P80,000 is the average cost of tertiary education per semester. Other school fees (OSF) alone average to P20,000 per semester. High cost even of state education forced to their limits students like Kristel Tejada and Rosanna Sanfuego, others. #

117 years of slavery to the United States of America (US) are enough!. Transgender Jennifer Laude was mur-dered by an American troop. Philippines’ water territorial integrity compromised by the tag-of-war of Chi-nese and US encroachment. US militarization intensified via joint military exercises and the controversial Ehanced Defense Cooperation Agree-ment (EDCA) signed by Aquino. Under EDCA, the US military can deploy assets at any location in the country for building barracks and facilities, for logis-tical reasons. Philippines is set to reopen Subic in ear-ly 2016 for US military occupation. Fears of the history of American terrorism such as illegal drones, Tubbataha reef damag-es, and rape cases such as that of “Nicole”, amomg others, are brought to the fore. #

Tatay Pascual Guevarra, a leader of the Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Magsasaka sa 3100 Hectares Fort Magsaysay (ALMANA 3100) against land grabbing, was the first peasant-victim of extra-judicial killing un-der Aquino. “Last year, an estimated 2.85 million MT of rice was imported by the government resulting to the steep drop in prices of our locally produced rice. The average price of farmers palay (unhusked rice) is now pegged at P14 per kilogram,” said Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Secretary General Antonio Flores. The Aquino government’s heavy reliance on food importation resulted to landgrab-bing via land-use conversion, land specula-tion, and crops conversion. Bogus land reform was intensified during Aquino’s term through CARPER. Privatization of the P75-billion Coco Levy Fund through Executive Order 179 and Executive Order 180 of Aquino. #

KAPUS-KALUSUGAN END ENDO STATE TERROR

EDU-CASH-YONSORRY

SOVEREIGNTYHACIENDERO-ISMO

The Filipino Student

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