Photos courtesy of Arkibong Bayan,
Act Teachers Partylist, Ada Marasigan,
Anakbayan-PUP and Carl Ramota as
indicated by the photo filename
■
March to
Mendiola and to the Department of Budget and Management
November 26, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As the strike continues
OVER 8,000 STUDENTS STORM DBM, MENDIOLA TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS IN SUCs
Over eight thousand college and high school students from both public and
private schools marched to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
today to protest DBM Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad’s “horrendous” claim
that budget cuts in state universities and colleges (SUCs) could be solved
through increasing tuition rates and utilizing savings of public schools.
This week, nationwide student strikes have been launched in various SUCs –
including the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), wherein
more than five thousand students have stopped going to their classes for a
week now; the University of the Philippines in Diliman and Manila, where a
combined total of 6,000 students have joined the strike that began
yesterday, together with the Rizal Technological University, Eulogio Amang
Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology and several other SUCs
across the country.
The nationwide mobilization, which paralyzed school operations, was
prompted by the reduced SUC budget for 2011. In the budget approved by the
House of Representatives last November 8, the budget for Maintenance and
Other Operating Expenditures (MOOE) budget for all 112 SUCs was cut by
P1.1 billion.
The mammoth protest action today was first planned to head straight to
Mendiola. However, after news broke out of Sec. Abad’s statement, student
protesters opted to pay him a visit first in the DBM Main Office in the
Malacanang compound.
‘King and prince of lies’
Earlier today, Sec. Abad guested in a radio news program in DZMM, wherein
he was asked to comment on the ongoing national students’ strike.
He denied the existence of the cut, as he did for over months since DBM
finished preparing the proposed budget for 2011. He even said that for
SUCs to cope with the impending budget cut, administrations of SUCs should
increase tuition and utilize savings of schools for to augment scarcities
that may arise.
“Panibagong kasinungalingan na naman ito ng administrasyong Aquino, ang
hari ng mga baluktot na pamamaraan. Kasabwat ang kanyang tagapayong si
Butch Abad, prinsipe ng kasinungalingan, muli nilang nililinlang ang mga
mamamayan,” said Vencer Crisostomo, spokesperson of Kilos Na! Laban sa
Budget Cuts.
“With such statement, the Aquino administration has confirmed for itself
that they really root for the eventual abandonment of public tertiary
education, and little by little transferring the state responsibility of
providing funding for higher education to the already burdened arms of the
Filipino people,” said UP Diliman University Student Council Chair Rainier
Sindayen who led the 2000 strong contingent from UP Diliman.
“The reasoning of this administration has kept on getting worse. They are
throwing to us dim-witted explanations, hurling to us solutions that were
basically the same predictions we made on what may happen if the impending
budget cuts push through,” said Crisostomo.
After disclaiming Abad’s statement through a full-blown mammoth rally in
front of DBM, the 8,000-strong student protesters proceeded to Mendiola to
continue the mobilization.
“Nagsisimula pa lamang nating ipakita ang galit at pagtutol natin sa
walang habas na pagkaltas sa badyet ng ating mga pampublikong pamantasan.
Sa mga susunod na araw, asahang titindi pa an gating mga pagkilos. Sa
December 1, yayanigin natin ang senado. Kung hindi nila pakikinggan ang
dumadagundong na panawagan ng kabataan at mamamayan, mayroon silang
kalalagyan,” said League of Filipino Students Chairperson Terry Ridon.
The nationwide mobilization will reach its peak on Wednesday, December 1,
in time for the Senate plenary deliberations for the 2011 national budget
proposal.###
Reference:
Aki Merced, 09336661328, Kilos Na! Laban sa Budget Cut Media Officer
Vencer Crisostomo, 09224290258, Kilos Na! Laban sa Budget Cuts
Spokesperson
UP Budget CUT…A call to STRIKE
by JD Agapito
Marami ng pagkilos ang naisagawa.
Sa nakaraang buwan hindi nagpabaya.
Bakit administrasyo’y nabingi na sadya,
BUDGET sa edukasyon huwag dapat ibaba.
Nakapagtatakang kay laki ng bawas,
BUDGET para sa UP ay di nakaligtas.
Bakit edukasyon ang di pinalampas.
Pero pondo sa military sadyang itinaas.
Nakakalungkot na sa bagong liderato
Ang kaltas sa budget ay sadyang lumobo.
Di ba’t edukasyo’y mahalagang aspekto.
Upang kaunlaran ay ating matamo.
Nguni’t ang nangyari ay kabaligtaran.
Pork barrel, dole out funds siyang pang dinagdagan.
Pati na ang pondo para sa pautang.
Pangunahing serbisyo’y lalong natabunan.
Kailangan ngayo’y matinding pagkilos .
Dahil mag-aaral ang tiyak maghihikahos.
Kalidad ng edukasyon ay bababang lubos.
Malaking problema na dapat iayos.
Maging kaguruan at mga empleyado.
Kay raming mga tao ang sadyang apektado.
Kaya’t dapat pakinggan ng ating Pangulo. (P-NOY)
Budget sa edukasyo’y dapat na mahusto.
Sa Poong Maykapal ako’y may dalangin.
Mga lider ng bayan inyo pong hipuin.
Desisyon sa BUDGET ayusing magaling.
EDUKASYON (at KALUSUGAN) ang dapat UNAHIN.
JD Agapito
24 November 2010
Dahil Kami Ang Boss
by Joanne Lara on Monday
kamakailan lamang ay itinatak sa aming isipan
kami raw ang boss kaya't kami't pakikinggan
ngunit Noynoy, bakit ka nagbibingibingihan
boses nami'y di naririnig kahit ipaglakasan
wag kaming linlangin mahal naming pangulo
wag tayo magpaikot ikot, hindi naman kami bobo
kaming mga studyante'y hindi pabor ang hinihingi
sapagkat aming karapatan ang siyang itinitindig
hindi magandang biro ang pagtapyas ng aming pondo
habang ang bayad utang at militar ay suportadong todo
elementarya't hayskul raw ang aming kaagaw sa pondo
ngunit ang totoo ay yung mga kaalyado mong Amerikano
baka sakaling hindi mo pa alam kaya aming babanggitin
karapatan sa edukasyo'y nasa saligang batas natin
bata, matanda, may ngipin man o wala, kahit sino ka pa
silid arala't upua'y dapat ibigay, walang tanong tanong pa
higit pa sa 1.39 bilyon ang mawawalang parang bula
kasama ang pangarap ng mga kabataang sa mundo'y wala pa
kung ganitong pagpapahalaga ang ipinataw sa edukasyon
iyan ba ang tinatawag na daang matuwid ng iyong administrasyon?!
mariin naming tinututulan ang iyong kalapastanganan
ginoo sa Malacanang, makinig ka sa aming panawagan
kaming boss mo ay galit na galit na
gobyerno mo'y gawing makatarungan para sa madla
kami'y hinding hindi titigil sa paglaban
hindi pwedeng karapata'y balewalain na lamang
hangga't di naipagkakaloob kung ano ang nararapat
mga iskolar ng bayan ang mabagsik mong makakatapat!
--UP Panitikan
For Immediate Release
November 25, 2010
On national education strikes
SUCs intensify “battle plan” for national strikes vs. budget cuts
References: Vencer Crisostomo, Sec.Gen of Kabataan , 0922-4290258
Bugsy Nolasco, Media Officer, 0922-8240740
Student, faculty, administrators and other employees of State
Universities and Colleges (SUCs) today gather to intensify what they call
the “battle plan” for the biggest anti-budget cut protests in years.
“Paint the town red”
According to Vencer Crisostomo, Secretary General of Kabataan Party-list
and spokesperson of the anti-budget cut alliance Kilos na Laban sa Budget
Cut, “the historic solidarity of different sectors within SUCs have set
ablaze the fight against the proposed slashing of SUCs budget for 2011.
Now, we are immersing ourselves to intense organizing and conceptual work
since we will be launching the biggest-ever strike against the
machinations of the Aquino administration.”
Attended by SUCs from the National Capital Region, Southern Tagalog and
Central Luzon, the gathering geared up for a massive protest on December
1, 2010 at the Senate, where the national budget is under deliberation. In
the past two weeks, thousands have poured into the streets as Senate
deliberates on the national budget. Crisostomo said that the upcoming
protests will “shake the sense out of the Aquino administration” to stop
the budget cuts.
“The Aquino government would do well to heed the call of the people
against the budget cuts. Otherwise, we will continue on painting the town
red, as it were, with determined and militant protest actions nationwide,”
Crisostomo said
“Brush up on their reading skills”
Despite the strong opposition of SUCs against the budget cuts, Malacanang
yesterday reiterated its prescription that SUCs commercialize and dip into
their own resources. Sentors Franklin Drilon and Vicente Sotto, on the
other hand, have countered the claims of budget cut as unreal and
unfounded.
“The Aquino government justifies the budget cut by claiming that SUCs
should commercialize to fill up budgetary deficits. What does this
effectively mean? It means that tuition rates will once again increase in
SUCs and that Aquino is bent on changing the nature of SUCs as schools for
the can-afford. This is inadmissible,” Crisostomo said.
“The claims of Senators Franklin Drilon and Vicente Sotto that the budget
cut is fictive cannot but appear as downright wrong. The slashing of the
operating expenses and the zero budget for capital outlay are not part of
the “congressional insertions” which have been removed from the 2011
proposed budget. They would do well to brush up on their reading skills or
get a better research team,” he added.
Spirit of solidarity
Earlier this week, the Philippine Association of State Universities and
Colleges (PASUC) has vowed to go full-force in joining the national
protests against the budget cuts. In Congress, around 100 lawmakers have
signed the petition against the cuts, as initiated by Rep. Raymond
Palatino of Kabataan Party-list.
“The peddled lies and machinations of the Aquino administration and its
cohorts cannot and will not douse the strong spirit of solidarity of the
people against the budget cuts. We grow stronger in asserting the
democratic right of every Filipino to quality and accessible tertiary
education,” Crisostomo said. ###
--
Office of Rep. Raymond ‘Mong’ Palatino
Room 419, North Wing, House of Representatives,
Batasan Complex, Quezon City
Tel: 931-55-04, 931-5001 (loc. 7378)
State schools on strike
Students and faculty protest SUC budget cuts
Thousands of students, faculty, workers and administrators of state
schools walked out of classrooms today and declared a strike against the
government proposed budget cuts for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).
In the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, students barricaded the
University Avenue and held noise barrage protests around campus. College
deans of the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Science, Education,
Engineering, Mass Communication, Social Sciences and Philosophy, Fine
Arts, Home Economics, Public Administration and Governance expressed
support for the strike.
In UP Manila, thousands of students wore red and held a sit-in protest in
front of the UP Oblation. Senate Minority Floor Leader Allan Peter
Cayetano, who expressed opposition to the P 1.1 Billion cut on SUCs budget
during yesterday’s Senate budget hearing, was invited as guest speaker.
Said students also protested against the looming cutback on the annual
budget of the tertiary state-owned Philippine General Hospital operated by
UP Manila. After the whole day activities, students stayed in campus for a
“sleep-in” protest.
A protest concert, meanwhile, was held in PUP, where no less than the
University President joined thousands of students in the “school
shutdown.” A pile of chairs reminiscent of the fiery anti-tuition increase
protest last March in PUP also served as blockade to the campus main gate.
Protests were also launched in the Philippine Normal University (PNU),
Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Technology (EARIST) and Rizal
Technological University (RTU). Even high school students joined the
protests as around a hundred students walked out of Quirino High School in
Quezon City.
“We owe it to the future generation”
The “Call to Strike” was issued by more than a hundred organizations and
individuals under the alliance Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cuts, to protest
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,” the statement
said.
The groups said that they have tried to appeal to the Aquino government
and Congress to “stand for the interest of the people,” but were insulted
by the Congress’ railroading of the approval of the 2011 budget, where it
increased in “billions the pork barrel funds, dole-outs and patronage
funds, budget for military and debt spending,” and maintained the cuts in
education, health and other social services.
“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,” the statement said.
PASUC support
SUC presidents and administrators led by the Philippine Association of
State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) have also expressed their support
for the forthcoming protests.
In a press conference in RTU in Mandaluyong, PASUC called for greater
subsidy for SUCs and warned of more actions if the Senate fails to stop
the education budget cuts in the face of increased military and pork
barrel spending.
Students are set to march to Mendiola tomorrow, November 26, to “flex
muscles” in preparation for a bigger strike and rally on December 1, when
the Senate is expected to hold plenary sessions on the 2011 budget. ###
References:
Vencer Crisostomo, Spokesperson Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cuts, 09224290258
09174416739
Vanessa Bolibol, Secretary General National Union of Students of the
Philippines, 09261703655
Aki Merced. Media Officer League of Filipino Students, 09336661328
Attachment: A call to strike (Kilos Na! Laban sa Budget Cuts!)
---------
A call to strike
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!
Signatories
National Youth Formations
National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP)
College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)
League of Filipino Students (LFS)
Anakbayan
Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (KARATULA)
Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP)
KABATAAN Partylist
Regents of State Colleges and Universities
Cori Alessa Co, University of the Philippines System Student Regent
Sheryl Alapad, Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Regent
Mikko James Rodriguez, Philippine Normal University Student Regent
Ana Rea Alcaza, Rizal Technological University Student Regent
Dr. Judy Taguiwalo, University of the Philippines Faculty Regent
Clodualdo Cabrera, University of the Philippines Staff Regent
Administration Officials, Deans and Faculty
Dr. Dante Guevara, PUP President
Dean Raul Pangalangan, former Dean, UP College of Law
Alfredo Pascual, former UP Alumni Regent
Dr. Roland Tolentino, Dean, UP College of Mass Communication
Dr. Edna Co, Dean, UP National College of Public Administration and
Governance
Dr. Caesar Saloma, Dean, UP College of Science
Dr. Mary Ann A. Espina, Dean, UP College of Architecture
Dr. Dina Ocampo, Dean, UP College of Education
Dr. Aura C. Matias, Dean, UP College of Engineering
Prof. Florentina P. Colayco, Dean, UP College of Fine Arts
Dr. Adelaida Villaraza Mayo, Dean, UP College of Home Economics
Dr. Michael L. Tan, Dean, Dean, UP College of Social Sciences and
Philosophy
Dr. Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo, Dean, College of Social Work and Community
Development (CSWCD)
Dr. Roberto E. Reyes, Director, UP Extension Program in San Fernando
Pampanga and Olongapo (UPEPPO)
Sarah Raymundo, CONTEND-UP
Dr. Fidel Nemenzo
Prof. Noni Queano
Prof. Vlad Gonzales
Prof. Gerry Lanuza
Prof. Danny Arao
Prof. Jonna Asis
Prof. Katrina Macapagal
Prof. Sharon Briones
Prof. Det Neri
Prof. Choy Pangilinan
Prof. Louie Vallejo
Prof. Marian Roque
Prof. Roselle Pineda
Prof. Siao Campoamor
Dr. Reynaldo Imperial, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Prof. Cora Inienevo, College of Nursing
Prof. Carl Ramota, Chair, Department of Social Sciences, UP Manila College
of Arts and Sciences
Prof. Doroteo Abaya
Prof. Edberto Villegas
Prof. Rose Roque
Prof. Risa Jopson
Prof. Roland Simbulan, former UP Faculty Regent
Prof. John Ponsaran
Prof. JPaul Manzanilla
Prof. Theo Macabiog of UP Baguio Office of the Director for Student
Affairs
Prof. Leah Abayao-UP Baguio CSS Faculty
Prof. Julius Mendoza-UP Baguio CSS Faculty
Prof. Grace Bengwayan-Benguet State University
Student Councils/ Governments:
University of the Philippines Student
Councils:
University of the Philippines- Baguio University Student Council
University of the Philippines-Diliman University Student Council
University of the Philippines-Diliman League of College Councils
UP Diliman- Asian Institute of Tourism Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Architecture Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Arts and Letters Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Business Administration Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Education Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Fine Arts Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Home economics Students Council
UP Diliman- College of Human Kinetics Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Mass Communications Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Music Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Science Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council
UP Diliman- College of Social Work and Community Development Student
Council
UP Diliman- Law Student Government
UP Diliman- National College of Public Administration and Governance
UP Diliman- School of Economics Student Council
UP Diliman- School of Statistics Student Council
UP Diliman- School of Library and Information Sciences
UP Manila:
University of the Philippines-Manila University Student Council
UP Manila- College of Arts and Sciences Student Council
UP Manila- College of Dentistry Student Council
UP Manila- College of Medicine Student Council
UP Manila- College of Nursing Student Council
UP Manila- College of Pharmacy Student Council
UP Manila- College of Public Health student Council
University of the Philippines- Extension Program in Pamapanga University
Student Council
University of the Philippines- Baler Campus University Student Council
University of the Philippines- Visayas University Student Council
University of the Philippines- Cebu Campus Student Council
University of the Philippines- Tacloban Campus Student Council
University of the Philippines- Mindanao Campus Student Council
Philippine Normal University Student Councils:
Philippine Normal University- Manila University Student Government
Philippine Normal University- Agusan Student Council
Philippine Normal University-Cadiz Student Council
Philippine Normal University-Isabela Student Council
Philippine Normal University-Quezon Student Council
Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Councils:
Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sentral na Konseho ng
Mag-aaralBenguet State University Student Government
Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Councils:
Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral
Polytechnic University of the Philippines- QC
PUP- Ragay Supreme Student Council
Eulogio Amang Rodriquez Institute of Science and Technology Institute
Student Government
Student Councils in Nueva Ecija:
Araullo University -College of Law- Student Council
Central Luzon State University – University Supreme Student Council
La Fortuna College – Supreme Student Gouncil
Asian Institute of E-Commerce – Alliance of Peer Leaders
Provincial Manpower Training Center – Supreme Student Council
Eduardo L. Joson Memorial College – Supreme Student Council
College of Immaculate Conception – College Student Supreme Council
Good Samaritan Colleges – Supreme Student Council
ABE College of Business and Accountancy – Supreme Student Council
Midway Maritime Foundation Inc. – Supreme Student Council
AMA Computer College (Cabanatuan) – Student Society on Information
Technology Education
Nueva Ecija University of Sciece and Technology – University Student
Government
Wesleyan University – Philippines – Central Student Council
Araullo University Supreme Student Government
San Jose Christian Colleges – student Body Organization
STI Education Center – Supreme Student Council
Palayan City Institute of Technology – Supreme Student Council
First Asian International Systems College – Student Body Organization
Core Gateway College – Education Student Council
Laguna State Polytechnic University- Mechanical Engineering Society
Cavite State University- Indang College of Arts and Sciences- Students
Committee
University of Rizal System
Palawan State University
University of Northern Philippines/ North Luzon Philippine State College
Bicol University University Student Government
Eastern Visayas State University - Supreme Student Government
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntipula USC
Romblon State College Student Council
University of Rizal System Student Council
Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trade Supreme Student Council
Palawan State University Student Council
Romblon State University Supreme Student Council
Surigao del sur State Polytechnic College Student Council
University of Southern Mindanao Supreme Student Council
Cotabato City Polytechnic College Supreme Student Council
Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University Supreme Student Council
Western Mindanao State University University Student Council
Romblon State College Student Council
Alliances:
Alliance of Concerned Students-Partido ng
Demokratikong Mag-aaral (ACS-PDM), University of Northern Philippines in
Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Nueva Ecija Colleges and Universities Student Councils Association
Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights- UP (STAND-UP)
Alliance of Students for Alternative Progress-Katipunan ng Demokratikong
Mag-aaral (ASAP-KATIPUNAN)
Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP (KASAMA sa UP )
ANAK-PUP
National federation of Student Leaders in PNU
Organizations
UP Agham Youth
Alay Sining
Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity-UP Diliman
UP Anakbayan
Artists’ Circle Fraternity
Artists’ Circle Sorority
Astrum Scientis Sorority
Beta Lambda Kappa Sorority
Center for Nationalist Studies
EMC2 Fraternity
UP Gabriela
Gamma Sigma Pi Fraternity
UP Ibalon
Lambda Sigma Pi Sorority
UP League of Filipino Students
UP Moriones
UP NNARA Youth
Pi Omicron Fraternity-UP Diliman
Pi Sigma Delta Sorority-UP Diliman
UP Praxis
PROGAY-LESBOND
UP Psychological Association
UP Roma
Saligan sa CSSP
Sigma Delta Pi Sorority-UP Diliman
Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity-UP Diliman
Sinagbayan
UP Student Christian Movement
UP Union of Journalists in the Philippines
Alliance of Concerned Dormers
Kamia House Council
Sampaguita House Council
Ilang-Ilang House Council
Ipil House Council
Yakal Hpuse Council
Molave House Council
Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity-UP Manila
Alpha Phio Omega Sorority-UP Manila
UPM Anakbayan
UPM Gabriela
Health Organization for the People
UPM Karatula
UPM League of Filipino Students
UPM NNARA Youth
UPM Pre-Law Society
Sigma Delta Pi Sorority-UP Manila
Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity- UP Manila
UP Panitikan
League of College Student Councils
Oblation Corps
Organization of Area Studies Majors
Alpha Sigma Fraternity
Youth for Christ UP Manila
Organizational Communication Society (ORCOMMSOC)
UP Political Science Society
UP Pre-Law Society
Junior Artists Circle
Alliance of Concerned Students- PUP
Juxtapoz
KABARO
Bayan Muna
Baguio- Benguet Organizations:
Tanghalang Bayan ng Kabataan sa Baguio
Anime HQ
Alliance of Concerned Students
UPPL Pusoy
Jodera
Unite-UP
Tumbleweeds
Shadows
UP Engkuwentrong Babae
Sigma Beta
Tayaw
Rotaract Club-UP Baguio
Comsci@upb
Student Catholic Action
Tau Gamma Phi
Physics Sphere
UP Sikat
Lifebox
Set-up
Anak-UP
Math-Physics Society
UP Palaris Confraternity
PSSN Jr.
UP Vizcayanos
Biology Society
PAGTA
UP Danceworks
Astrum Scientis Sorority
Scintilla Juris Fraternity
TAO
UP Subol
Argumentum
Econsoc
Tinig Amianan
Tae Kwon Do Club
Red Cross Youth
Tau Gamma Sigma
UP Cheersquad
UP Kamalayan
UP Yoga Science Club
Student for the Visual Arts
Association of Pre-Law Students
YSIP|CADUA
Debate Society
Speak-UP
Toxophilus
Gawad Kalinga
Artists and Musician Platforms
Philo Circle| Students in Touch
UP Silag
Pi Sigma
Pi Sigma Delta
UP Kaisa
UP Write
Sigma Kappa Pi
Sigma Delta Pi
Saint Louis University Political Science Academic Society
University of Baguio Politis
Student Publications
Philippine Collegian
Manila Collegian
PUP Catalyst
Earist Technozette
The Scholastican
STI aSTIg
PNU The Torch
TSU The Work
TSU The Blaze
UP Vista
Ateneo de Davao Atenews
UPB Outcrop
UPLB Perspective
Ateneo de Naga The Pillars
TUA Trinity Observer
PLMun The Warden
UP SOLIDARIDAD
PUP Alyansa ng Kabataang Mamamahayag
PNU Pluma
University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos Tolentine Star
Road (Recto) to Mendiola cleared of all vehicles as
marchers occupy the entire widrh
November 26, 2010
Salient Points
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s statements
Against the Budget Cut on SUCs
and a response to Drilon’s statement that there were ‘No actual cuts for
State U’
Himayin natin yung issue.
Una, ang congressional insertion ay inilaan sa capital outlay at
additional scholarship. Pero yung MOOE na P1.1-B ay hindi congressional
initiative kaya nga maintenance and operation expenditure ito. That means
totoo ang slash sa SUC budget.
Pangalawa, ang UP, 1.39 billion pesos ang matatanggal sa budget nila.
Tunay na slash ito.
Pangatlo, ang policy mismo doon sa ‘budget message’ ng pangulo ay malinaw.
Ang nakalagay sa budget message, dapat maging ‘self-sufficient’ ang mga
SUCs. Ibig sabihin ng ‘being self-sufficient’ in simple terms ay “Problema
mo pondo mo”. Either itataas ng SUCs ang tuition fees nila o yung mga
lupain na pagmamay-ari ng mga ito ay gagamitin para kumita kaysa gamitin
para sa edukasyon.
Pang-apat, ang congressional initiative ay hindi masama. Masama bang
magdagdag sa edukasyon? Masama bang dagdagan ang paggawa ng building? Kung
mayroon ngang pork barrel sa kung anu-ano, bakit ikakasasama ang
congressional initiative pagdating sa building for state universities and
additional scholars?
So rather than just saying it is a congressional initiative, the real
question is, is it a good initiative or not? and definitely the bottomline
is, totoong mababawasan pa rin ang budget sa SUCs, dahil kahit tanggalin
man ang congressional initiative, P1.1-B parin ang matatanggal sa MOOE.
Sa lahat ng mga state universities, sa RTU lang ang mayroong additional
P20 million para sa capital outlay. All the rest hindi binigyan ng capital
outlay.
Ang ibig sabihin nito sa mga estudyante, “mabulok mga building niyo,
auditorium, gyms, theaters , o laboratory, bahala kayo sa buhay niyo!”. I
don’t think that that should be the attitude of the government towards
students so I think the president is still getting the wrong information
regarding this.
I am encouraging students to let their voices be heard. Ako ay naniniwala
na ang mga estudyante ay dapat pakinggan din at sila’y namumulat sa mga
issue tulad nito.
Napakalaki ng unprogrammed fund. I think almost P60 billion. Ano ba naman
ang P1.1-B ay idagdag mo sa MOOE ng SUCs. What’s the use in giving, let’s
say P21 Billion for CCT, kung ang mga nag-aaral na (ay hindi naman
bibigyan ng tamang pansin).
By the way, 40% of all our college students go to state universities and
colleges. so hindi lang ito 10% o 5%. 4 out of 10 na nasa kolehiyo ay sa
state colleges and universities nag-aaral. Itong 40% na ito na karaniwang
mahihirap ay ang magsa-suffer sa budget cuts.
Sa pagbawas ng MOOE ng SUCs, nangangamba ako na baka pati test papers,
kailangan ng bayaran ng estudyante. Doon kasi napupunta ang MOOE maliban
pa sa pagbili ng mga teaching supplies tulad ng chalk at blackboard.All of
these including electricity and other maintenance fees are part of MOOE.
On the alleged increases in SUC budget, this increase is only for the
personal services because of the salary standardization law. Admittedly
maganda naman ito para sa bansa lalo na ang dagdag tulong para sa DepEd
pero sa CHED at sa mga state universities, binawasan talaga.
Dalawa lang iyan, either mabulok ang mga gusali at sumama ang kalidad ng
edukasyon, o di kaya’t itataas ang tuition fees.
Ang masama dito, from 100 students in the Philippines, only 23 go to
college, only 17 graduate. Mababa pa ito unless buhusan natin ng pondo at
ng pansin ang mga state universities natin.
For many of our students, it’s state universities or nowhere. Wala naman
silang choice dahil sa kahirapan. Kung may choice naman sila at may pera
din sila ay pupunta sila sa malalaking university.
Most of these state universities do really have good programs at maganda
ang quality of education pero kung itataas nila yung tuition, ay hindi ito
kakayanin ng karamihan ng mga estudyante
Yung 600million for scholarship at saka yung ibang capital outlay ay
congressional insertions. Ibig sabihin, ang mga ito ay amendments mula sa
congressmen at senadors kaya nai-release noong 2010 kung kaya’t okay lang
na tanggalin ang mga ito sa budget ngayon.
Hindi totoo na lahat ng binawas ay congressional insertion dahil ang
P1.1-billion para dapat sa MOOE at yung ibang para sa capital outlay ay
tinanggal din talaga.
I hope that we can still bring in at least the P1.1-billion for MOOE and
at least an additional P500-Million for capital outlay. Unfortunately, we
have 112 state universities so from this P500 million that I’m saying,
almost P5 million each bawat state U (ang mabibigay) na magagamit lang
pang-pintura at pang-ayos ng mga tumutulong building ng school so kulang
talaga.
-end-
=
■
Striking students of
the Philippines Normal University
There has been a general assault in the last 25 years on solidarity,
democracy, social welfare, anything that interferes with private power,
and there are many targets. One of the targets is undoubtedly the
educational system. In fact, a couple of years ago already, the big
investment firms, like Lehman Brothers, and so on, were sending around
brochures to their clients saying, “Look, we’ve taken over the health
system; we’ve taken over the prison system; the next big target is the
educational system. So we can privatize the educational system, make a lot
of money out of it.”
Also, notice that privatizing it undermines the danger, it’s kind of an
ethic that has to be undermined, namely the idea that you care about
somebody else. A public education system is based on the principle that
you care whether the kid down the street gets an education. And that’s got
to be stopped. This is very much like what the workers in the mills in
Lowell, Massachusetts were worrying about 150 years ago. They were trying
to stop what they called the new spirit of the age: “Gain wealth,
forgetting all but self.” We want to stop that. That’s not what we’re
like. We’re human beings. We care about other people. We want to do things
together. We care about whether the kid down the street gets an education.
We care about whether somebody else has a road, even if I don’t use it. We
care about whether there is child slave labor in Thailand. We care about
whether some elderly person gets food. That’s social security. We care
whether somebody else gets food. There’s a huge effort to try to undermine
all of that--to try to privatize aspirations so then you’re totally
controlled. Privatize aspirations, you’re completely controlled. Private
power goes its own way, everyone else has to subordinate themselves to it.
Well that’s part of the basis for the attack on the public education
system, and it goes right up to the universities. In the universities
there’s a move toward corporatization and that has very clear effects. You
see it at MIT where I teach, you see it everywhere. It means that you want
to create, just like industry, you want to create a more flexible work
force. That means undermine security. It means have cheap temporary labor,
like graduate students, who don’t have to be paid much and who can be
thrown out--they’re temps. OK, they’re going to be around for a couple of
years, then you toss them out and have some more temps.
It affects research, strikingly. I’m sure you see it here, but at a
research institution like where I am, MIT, you see it pretty clearly. As
funding shifts from public entities, including, incidentally, the
Pentagon, in fact, primarily the Pentagon, which has long understood that
its domestic role is to be a cover for transferring public funds into
private profit. When funding goes from the Pentagon and the National
Science Foundation and others to corporate funding, there’s a definite
shift. A corporation, say, some pharmaceutical corporation, is not
particularly likely to want to fund research which is going to help
everybody. There’s exceptions, but, by and large, it’s not going to want
to fund, say basic biology, which may be a public good that anybody can
use 10 or 20 years from now. It’s going to want to fund things that it can
make profit from and, furthermore, do it in the short term. There’s a
striking tendency, and a perfectly natural one, for corporate funding to
institute more secrecy and short-term applied [projects for which the
corporation has proprietary control on publication and use. Well you know,
technically corporate funding can’t demand secrecy, but that’ s only
technically. In fact they can, like the threat of not re-funding imposes
secrecy. There are actually cases like this, some of them so dramatic
they’ve made the Wall Street Journal. There was an article in the Wall
Street Journal last summer, you may have seen, about MIT, my place. What
had happened was that a student in a computer science class had refused to
answer a question on an exam. When he was asked why by the professor, he
said that he knew the answer but he was under a secrecy condition from a
different professor not to answer it, and the reason was that, in the
research he was doing for this other professor, they had sort of worked
out the answer to this; but they wanted to keep it secret, because they
wanted to make money, or something. Well, you know, this is so scandalous
that even the Wall Street Journal was scandalized.
But that’s the kind of thing you can expect as there’s a move toward
corporatization. After all, corporations are not benevolent societies. As
Milton Friedman correctly says, though in slightly different words, the
board of directors of a corporation actually has a legal obligation to be
a monster, an ethical monster. Their legal obligation is to maximize
profits for the shareholders, the stockholders. They’re not supposed to do
nice things. If they are, it’s probably illegal, unless it’s intended to
mollify people, or improve market share, or something. That’s the way it
works. You don’t expect corporations to be benevolent any more than you
expect dictatorships to be benevolent. Maybe you can force them to be
benevolent, but it’s the tyrannical structure that’s the problem, and as
the universities move toward corporatization you expect all of these
effects.
And one of the effects, in a way, I think the most important, is the
undermining of the conception of solidarity and cooperation. I think that
lies at the heart of the attack on the public school system, the attack on
social security, the effort to block any form of national health care,
which has been going on for years. And, in fact, across the board, and
it’s understandable. If you want to "regiment the minds of men just as an
army regiments their bodies," you’ve got to undermine these subversive
notions of mutual support, solidarity, sympathy, caring for other people,
and so on and so forth.
The attack on public education is one example. I don’t know how it’s
working here, but in Massachusetts, where I see it directly, there’s a
comparable attack on the state colleges, which are there for working class
people, people who come back to college after they’re half-way in their
career, mothers who come back, people from the urban ghettos, and so on
and so forth, that’s what the state college system has been, and they’re
under serious attack by an interesting method. The method has been to
raise the entrance standards for the state colleges without improving the
schools. So when you don’t improve the schools but you raise the entrance
standards for the people who are trying to go on, it’s kinds of obvious
what happens. You get lower enrollments, and when you get lower
enrollments, you’ve got to cut staff because, remember, we have to be
efficient, like corporations. So you cut staff, and you cut services, and
then you can admit even fewer people, and there’s kind of a natural cycle,
and you can see where it ends up. It ends up with people either not going
to college or figuring out some way to spend $30,000 a year at a private
college. And you know what that means. All of these are part of the
general effort, I think, to create a socio-economic order which is under
the control of private concentrated power. It shows up all over the place.
May 12 2000
(Noam Chomsky, Zmag.org)
Right to strike by Philippine Collegian 10-11 on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at
8:03pm
(This editorial was published in issue 18 of the Philippine Collegian on
November 24, 2010)
We did our part. We wasted no time in opposing the proposed cuts on the
budget for education. We kept on reminding the government of its
obligations, occupying the streets to display our dissatisfaction with the
regime’s list of priorities. Tirelessly, we urged the lawmakers and the
President to lend us an ear and heed our demands.
But the House of Representatives did not even take note of our calls, and
passed the budget without amending the item for higher education.
President Benigno Aquino III was as unrelenting as ever, despite the
seemingly endless string of protest actions against his proposed budget.
We warned of a historical show of student outrage if the administration
does not bend its will to serve the people. Now, the rehearsals are over.
There is no stopping the strike in this university.
Strikes have often been dismissed as unnecessary disruption of peace,
order and production, and as such are often vilified by the structures
that maintain the status quo. However, at times like these, a disruption
is just, especially when Aquino’s actions speak of deliberate state
neglect rather than just ignorance.
For instance, Aquino has been inconsistent with his explanations for the
budget cut. He claimed that there was in fact a budget hike if the budget
for basic education is included, even though he had earlier admitted in a
statement that there was indeed a cut in the budget for education. His
inconsistency could mean only three things: either he is indecisive in
matters of national concern, he has outrageously erred in stating the
facts behind his actions, or simply that he was lying at one point or
another.
As if the inconsistency was not enough, Aquino even made excuses for the
P1.39 billion cut for UP. He said that the university has its own means of
income generation, citing the UP-Ayala TechnoHub. The essence of a state
university is actually easy to understand, and the failure of the
administration to grasp a notion so simply defies logic. As a state
university, UP should be mostly – if not fully – subsidized by the
government. It is unlawful for such a university to sustain itself through
tuition from students, because UP’s mandate is to cater to those who
cannot afford the price of quality education in private schools.
Aquino apparently finds it difficult to accept this premise. He does not
see how many students struggle to finish school as increased tuition
bridges the gap between the budget needed by the university and the amount
approved by the government. It seems that the struggle is all too
unfamiliar for him to even exist.
The offenses, however, did not end with his illogical and deceptive
explanations. Just recently, he ordered the Senate to approve the budget
without changes. By using the pressure of his executive powers, he is
attempting to defeat the purpose of free debate in the plenary, trying to
shut off all criticisms against the “reform budget” that betrays its own
name, trying to reduce the protests across all sectors into a silence of
submission.
But Aquino should know better than to remain unyielding to the demands
that the students have long taken to the media, the halls of Congress, and
even to the doors of Malacanang. No form of populist posturing or attempt
to discredit the protest actions could prevent the inevitable disruption,
for the strike is only a logical response to the anti-student policies
hammered out by the administration.
A strike is a historical means to show that the people have had enough.
Although a strike is often viewed as a transgression, it is an
indispensable part of social change, a way in which people assert for
their rights by creating a space for protest that cannot be trespassed. In
fact, in UP history, the strike of the Diliman Commune is often glorified
as a monumental display of the university’s tradition of militancy.
Through the Diliman Commune, the students are able to engage a government
that simply does not listen.
Many reject walking out of classes as an apt response to state neglect.
Unfortunately for some, academics topple every reason to engage in a mass
action directed to defend their rights. But ignoring the clamor for his
own rights is tantamount to prolonging the chronic education crisis. At
this point, refusal to strike is consent to more years of dwindling state
subsidy.
We have every reason to close off UP, until the government yields to our
demands. We reserve the right to strike. And this time, we have no qualms
in showing the force of students united against state abandonment.# ?
■
Striking
students at the University of the Philippines - Manila
Campus rallies against SUC budget cuts
presage rising tide of youth and people's protests Communist Party of the Philippines
November 27, 2010
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) salutes and supports the
struggle of students and other school personnel of the University of the
Philippines, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the Philippine
Normal University and other state universities and colleges (SUCs) in
Metro Manila and other regions against unjust SUC budget cuts.
The CPP hails the militancy and determination of the students, teachers
and other school personnel in the mass protest actions they have launched
the past two weeks. The CPP takes note of the widespread unity of
students, teachers, administrative officials, non-academic workers and
supporters against the US-Aquino regime's SUC budget cuts. The broad
united front against the budget cuts underscores the popular opposition to
the ruling regime's policy to cut state subsidies for SUCs and other
direly needed social services, and concentrate the bulk of state spending
for foreign debt servicing, military spending, privatization programs,
"pork barrels" and the World Bank's Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)
program for perpetual mendicancy.
The participation of several thousand students, academic and non-academic
school personnel and other sectors in campus walkouts and other protest
actions the past several days significantly mark a rising tide of mass
protests against the US-Aquino regime's antipeople policies.
These rallies in Philippine universities and colleges are taking place at
the same time as students wage protest actions in unprecedented numbers in
the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, some states
in the U.S., and other countries where governments have carried out
similar "austerity measures" resulting in brutal budget cuts in education
and other necessary social spending.
The US-Aquino regime's spending cuts for SUCs spell the further
deterioration of services and facilities of state tertiary education, and
make university and college education more inaccessible to the vast
majority of young Filipinos.
Close to 90% of college-age youth are out of school because of the high
costs of going to universities and colleges. Yet, funding for SUCs next
year has been cut by at least P1.3 billion. The Aquino government slashed
the budget of UP by P1.39 billion (from P6.9 billion in 2010 to P5.5
billion in 2011). PUP will only get P672 million out of the P2 billion it
needs. The budget of the PNU has also been slashed by P92 million (from
P387.23 million to P295.88 million). Funds for government scholarships
were also reduced by 43 percent.
The justification by the US-Aquino regime that it reduced the budget for
SUCs to prioritize basic and secondary education evades the issue of its
gross failure to allocate an adequate budget for public education in
general. It also dodges the fact that is has allocated only P10.5 billion
(instead of the required P91.5 billion) to solve the grave shortage of
public elementary and and high school teachers, principals, books,
classrooms, chairs, water and sanitation facilities this school year.
Aquino has only further enraged the students and SUC personnel when he
justified the cuts as a measure to push the SUCs toward becoming
self-sufficient and financially independent, a reiteration of the
Philippine government's policy of abandoning state tertiary education. For
the past years, this policy has pushed SUCs to increasingly engage in
profit-oriented commercial operations and raising tuition rates and
imposing other fees.
The spending cuts in state tertiary education highlight the continuing
budgetary malappropriations. National spending priorities are determined
not by needs of the people but by imperialist neoliberal dictates of
privatizing public assets and turning social services into commodities, as
well as by the US government-designed counterinsurgency program that
hinges on further strengthening the military combined with deceptive
doleout programs and cosmetics.
Despite its prating about "reforms" and "taking the righteous road," the
US-Aquino government has failed to make a significant break from the
rotten, antipeople policies of all previous puppet reactionary regimes,
and is proving itself to be no different in terms of its pro-imperialist
and elitist commercial priorities and programs.
The CPP urges students, teachers, non-academic personnel and officials of
SUCs and other schools and communities to continue pressing for bigger and
more adequate allocations for state tertiary education in particular and
for education in general. Those in state schools should unite with those
in private schools to also incisively critique the profit orientation of
the entire school system. Students in private schools have as much
interest in opposing the budget cuts. In the face of the state abandonment
of education, owners of private colleges and universities are only
emboldened to further commercialize their operations and keep on raising
tuition fees.
The CPP also urges the affected students to unite with the different
sectors of Philippine society who are likewises adversely affected by the
US-Aquino regime's policy to reduce much-needed social spending. They
should help in explaining the issues to the broad masses of workers and
peasants and the millions of unemployed and urban poor who continue to
suffer gravely from the government's pro-imperialist, commercial, elitist
and antipoor policies.
The issues being faced by the students are tightly bound with the
political and socio-economic malaise in the country and the masses'
concrete problems of poverty, hunger and deprivation of much-needed social
services amid the overall spiralling of costs of living and general
deterioration of the people's conditions.
The significance and effectivity of mass student protest actions in the
past weeks will be amplified severalfold as they unite with the other
sectors and forge a broad united front against cuts in basic social
spending and other political and socio-economic problems prevailing in the
country.
Student councils and associations, youth organizations and progressive
groups can organize the students to go en masse to factories and worker
and urban poor communities near their schools and even to far-flung
peasant communities to generate support for the struggle against education
budget cuts. At the same time, they can extend support to the struggle of
workers, the unemployed and impoverished masses for jobs, wage increases,
and the provision of health, housing and other essential social services.
As in many occasions in our past, the streets will again be a venue for
the students and the people to make history.
The US-Aquino regime has failed to address the clamor of the people for
national industrialization and land reform; for stable domestic jobs and
wage increases; for government prioritization of education, health and
other essential social services; and for an end to prioritization of
allocations for debt-servicing, privatization, mendicancy-perpetuating
doleouts, militarization and 'counterinsurgency' operations.
Because of its adamant perpetuation of the old, rotten system and
government policies against the interests of the broad masses of the
people, the US-Aquino regime is bound to be rocked by massive protests in
the coming months and the rest of its term.
The campus strikes and protest actions of the past days and weeks presage
rising tides of more wide-ranging people's protests against the policies
of the US-Aquino regime that serve only the interests of the imperialists,
local big capitalist compradors, big landlords and big bureacrat
capitalists. The intensity and heightening of the political and
socio-economic crisis in the country increasingly bears down on the people
and leaves them with no recourse but to wage militant struggle and
revolution.
For Immediate Release
November 25, 2010
State University Presidents, youth solon
declare strike vs. budget cuts
References: Rep. Raymond V. Palatino, +63908-5927099
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +63908-5927099
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Media Relations Officer: Bugsy Nolasco, +63922-8240740
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +63922-8240740
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
For the first time in history, officials of the country’s state
universities and colleges (SUCs) and students joined forces in opposing
the systemic budget cuts to tertiary education and called on all sectors
of the academe to stage campus strikes “until President Noynoy Aquino
takes serious notice of our rightful demand for higher state subsidy.”
In a press conference held today at the Rizal Technological University,
officials of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges
(PASUC) and Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino announced
that SUCs throughout the country will be staging campus strikes “to urge
the government to increase the operating budget and allocate adequate
funds for the capital outlay of our cash-strapped state schools.”
“In the past, student leaders and university officials have disagreed on a
host of issues, but today is a time to set aside these differences and
unite in our fight for education. After all, we are all in agreement that
the cuts in the budget of SUCs is unjust, disparaging. ” Palatino said.
A total of P1.1 billion was slashed for the operations of the 97 SUCs
while no single centavo was earmarked for the construction of new
buildings and facilities. The Aquino administration also reduced the funds
for student financial assistance by a whopping 43 percent.
The youth solon said, “It is unacceptable that SUCs have been presented
with a budget that neglects their needs. In the course of the budget
deliberations in Congress, Kabataan Partylist has been steadfast in
opposing the budget cuts. And yet despite all our efforts inside the halls
of parliamentary procedure, we have been ignored.”
“Thus, there is a need to show our outrage. Campus strikes would mean
disrupting the normal and everyday operations of our schools, but our
school officials saw the need to sacrifice even a few minutes and hours
just to engage the Aquino administration and heed to our demand,” he said.
Last Friday, students, faculty, and other employees of the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines (PUP) had staged a strike and halted
university operations in protest against education budget cuts. The
University of the Philippines, which had its budget cut down from P6.9
billion in 2010 to P5.25 billion in 2011, is planning to stage its own
strike today.##
Office of Rep. Raymond ‘Mong’ Palatino
Room 419, North Wing, House of Representatives,
Batasan Complex, Quezon City
Tel: 931-55-04, 931-5001 (loc. 7378)
STRIKE BULLETIN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 25, 2010
State schools on strike
Round up of campus strikes as of 5:30 pm
Thousands of students, faculty, workers and administrators of state
schools walked out of classrooms today and declared a strike against the
government proposed budget cuts for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
5000 students, professors and employees from 14 colleges walked out today
and barricaded the PUP main gate with broken chairs and facilities. They
are currently holding a rock concert as a part of their strike’s
activities. Led by PUP president Dante Guevarra, the students vowed to
continue protests the next day.
University of the Phililippines Manila
2000 students and professors walked out and paralyzed the College of Arts
and Sciences building. The students and professors are still occupying the
building and will hold a vigil until the next day. Senator Alan Peter
Cayetano came to give support.
University of the Philippines Diliman
4000 students, professors, administrators and deans walked out and
barricaded the University Avenue near the Oblation statue to symbolically
signal the start of their strike. Congressman Mong Palatino came to give
support and deliver good news of Philippine Association of State
Universities and Colleges (PASUC)’s support of the strike. Dormers will
also walk out of their dorms and hold a protest sleep-in at the Palma
Hall. Protests will continue the next day at the Malcolm Hall during the
University Council meeting where professors will deliberate their stand on
the SUC budget cut.
Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute for Science and Technology
1000 students walked out and shut down EARIST. The students are still
barricading the gates of EARIST in protest of the SUC budget cut.
Quirino High School
800 high school students of Quirino High School walked out in protest of
the 210,000 peso budget cut to their Maintenance and Other Operating
Expenditures (MOOE) budget, and in support of the University strikes
saying that they oppose the SUC budget cut and want to go to college.
Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
In a press conference held today at the Rizal Technological University,
officials of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges
(PASUC) and Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino announced
that SUCs throughout the country will be staging campus strikes “to urge
the government to increase the operating budget and allocate adequate
funds for the capital outlay of our cash-strapped state schools.”
Students are set to march to Mendiola tomorrow, November 26, to “flex
muscles” in preparation for a bigger strike and rally on December 1, when
the Senate is expected to hold plenary sessions on the 2011 budget.###
Reference:
Aki Merced, 09336661328
PRESS RELEASE
November 26, 2010
Reference: Ramh Hernandez, +09326658537
High school students fear budget cuts’ effect on their chances of going
to college, hold ‘sympathy strike’
Students of the Culiat High School in Quezon City, led by members of youth
group Anakbayan, held a ‘sympathy strike’ today as campus strikes in the
University of the Philippines and the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines entered its second day today.
The students voiced their concerns over the possible effects that the
proposed P1.1 billion operating budget cut and an overall P400 million
budget cut to State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) might have on their
prospects of having a college education after they graduate.
“High school students have the most to lose when SUCs receive lower
funding” said Anakbayan spokesperson Charisse Bañez.
She cited the experience of the University of the Philippines which hiked
its tuition rate from P300 per unit to P1000 per unit in 2007 after its
funding was slashed by P357 million the previous year. She also mentioned
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines which proposed a 1700%
tuition increase last March in response to more than a decade of
inadequate funding.
In both cases, the hikes were ‘ladderized’, or applied only to incoming
freshmen, to diffuse student protests, said Bañez.
Meanwhile, she slammed continued claims by the Aquino administration that
there are no budget cuts
“President Aquino himself is an example of the low quality of Philippine
education today. He seems to be incapable of basic arithmetic such as
‘P23.8 Billion – P23.4 Billion = P400 Million’ said the youth leader.
“It is nothing but a pathetic attempt at damage control from an
administration facing its most serious challenge to its purported
pro-people image in the form of the ‘campus uprisings’” she added.
The militant organization of young workers, farmers, professionals,
students, and migrant and out-of-school youth has vowed to mobilize its
entire membership for a massive rally at the Senate slated December 1 to
pressure solons into rejecting the cuts. ###
--
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"Only through militant struggle can the best in the youth emerge"
■
Student strikers of
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
SUCs
intensify ‘battle plan’ for national strikes vs. budget cuts 27 November 2010 153 views View Comments
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Student, faculty, administrators and other employees of State Universities
and Colleges (SUCs) today gather to intensify what they call the “battle
plan” for the biggest anti-budget cut protests in years.
‘Paint the town red’
According to Vencer Crisostomo, Secretary General of Kabataan Party-list
and spokesperson of the anti-budget cut alliance Kilos na Laban sa Budget
Cut, “the historic solidarity of different sectors within SUCs have set
ablaze the fight against the proposed slashing of SUCs budget for 2011.
Now, we are immersing ourselves to intense organizing and conceptual work
since we will be launching the biggest-ever strike against the
machinations of the Aquino administration.”
Attended by SUCs from the National Capital Region, Southern Tagalog and
Central Luzon, the gathering geared up for a massive protest on December
1, 2010 at the Senate, where the national budget is under deliberation. In
the past two weeks, thousands have poured into the streets as Senate
deliberates on the national budget. Crisostomo said that the upcoming
protests will “shake the sense out of the Aquino administration” to stop
the budget cuts.
“The Aquino government would do well to heed the call of the people
against the budget cuts. Otherwise, we will continue on painting the town
red, as it were, with determined and militant protest actions nationwide,”
Crisostomo said
‘Brush up on their reading skills’
Despite the strong opposition of SUCs against the budget cuts, Malacanang
yesterday reiterated its prescription that SUCs commercialize and dip into
their own resources. Sentors Franklin Drilon and Vicente Sotto, on the
other hand, have countered the claims of budget cut as unreal and
unfounded.
“The Aquino government justifies the budget cut by claiming that SUCs
should commercialize to fill up budgetary deficits. What does this
effectively mean? It means that tuition rates will once again increase in
SUCs and that Aquino is bent on changing the nature of SUCs as schools for
the can-afford. This is inadmissible,” Crisostomo said.
“The claims of Senators Franklin Drilon and Vicente Sotto that the budget
cut is fictive cannot but appear as downright wrong. The slashing of the
operating expenses and the zero budget for capital outlay are not part of
the “congressional insertions” which have been removed from the 2011
proposed budget. They would do well to brush up on their reading skills or
get a better research team,” he added.
Spirit of solidarity
Earlier this week, the Philippine Association of State Universities and
Colleges (PASUC) has vowed to go full-force in joining the national
protests against the budget cuts. In Congress, around 100 lawmakers have
signed the petition against the cuts, as initiated by Rep. Raymond
Palatino of Kabataan Party-list.
“The peddled lies and machinations of the Aquino administration and its
cohorts cannot and will not douse the strong spirit of solidarity of the
people against the budget cuts. We grow stronger in asserting the
democratic right of every Filipino to quality and accessible tertiary
education,” Crisostomo said. ###
MOOE stands for
“Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses”. It is one of the three
components of the budget of any government agency (the others being
“Personal Services” and “Capital Outlay”). MOOE represents the funds
allocated for the operations of the various services of government
agencies, from payments of utilities such as water and electricity, to
payment of contractual janitorial services, repair and maintenance of
facilities, payment of office and laboratory supplies, among many other
expenses necessary for an institution to be able to do what it is
mandated to do.
The figures below are in thousand
pesos terms.
2010
2011
Change between 2010 and
2011
3,903,881
2,804,392
-28.16%
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
1,670,396
917,359
-45.08%
Euogio ‘Amang’ Rodriguez
Institute of Science & Technology
23,073
24,227
5.00%
Marikina Polytechnic College
6,693
5,978
-10.68%
Philippine Normal University
53,656
51,245
-4.49%
Philippine State College of
Aeronautics
10,383
9,646
-7.10%
Polytecnic University of the
Philippines
114,114
90,684
-20.53%
Rizal Technological University
21,047
18,942
-10.00%
Technological University of the
Philippines
83,098
62,638
-24.62%
University of the Philippines
System
1,358,332
653,999
-51.85%
REGION I – ILOCOS
164,880
150,528
-8.70%
Don Mariano Marcos Memorial
State University
39,550
35,775
-9.54%
Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State
College
8,907
8,514
-4.41%
Mariano Marcos State University
48,094
43,285
-10.00%
Pangasinan State University
37,123
33,411
-10.00%
University of Northern
Philippines
31,206
29,543
-5.33%
CORDILLERA
ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
114,576
79,765
-30.38%
Abra State Institute of Sicence
& Technology
12,621
7,759
-38.52%
Apayao State College
5,170
3,753
-27.41%
Benguet State University
41,085
32,477
-20.95%
Ifugao State University
23,730
13,257
-44.13%
Kalinga-Apayao State College
13,989
7,236
-48.27%
Mountain Province State
Polytechnic College
17,981
15,283
-15.00%
REGION II – CAGAYAN
VALLEY
183,039
120,565
-34.13%
Batanes State College
2,865
1,958
-31.66%
Cagayan State University
50,668
49,508
-2.29%
Isabela State University
82,623
45,804
-44.56%
Nueva Vizcaya State University
41,235
19,112
-53.65%
Quirino State College
5,648
4,183
-25.94%
REGION III – CENTRAL
LUZON
247,551
236,782
-4.35%
Aurora State College of
Technology
9,358
4,507
-51.84%
Bataan Peninsula State
University
27,224
22,445
-17.55%
Bataan State College
Bulacan Agricultural State
College
5,148
3,857
-25.08%
Bulacan State University
42,509
44,109
3.76%
Central Luzon State University
36,053
37,630
4.37%
Don Honorio Ventura
Technological State University
11,158
11,191
0.30%
Nueva Ecija University of
Science & Technology
24,994
26,244
5.00%
Pampanga Agricultural College
9,456
8,367
-11.52%
Philippine Merchant Marine
Academy
37,669
36,250
-3.77%
Ramon Magsaysay Technological
University
14,656
13,190
-10.00%
Tarlac College of Agriculture
8,499
7,649
-10.00%
Tarlac State University
20,827
21,343
2.48%
REGION IV-A –
CALABARZON
182,179
166,270
-8.73%
Batangas State University
54,684
49,216
-10.00%
Cavite State University
30,872
31,891
3.30%
Laguna State Polytechnic
University
24,338
22,357
-8.14%
Southern Luzon State University
37,686
31,667
-15.97%
University of Rizal System
34,599
31,139
-10.00%
REGION IV-B – MIMAROPA
97,346
70,768
-27.30%
Marinduque State College
10,604
8,861
-16.44%
Mindoro State College of
Agriculture & Technology
6,853
5,380
-21.49%
Occidental Mindoro State
College
10,058
9,052
-10.00%
Palawan State University
45,672
28,699
-37.16%
Romblon State University
8,937
8,043
-10.00%
Western Philippines University
15,222
10,733
-29.49%
REGION V – BICOL
218,241
163,855
-24.92%
Bicol University
86,165
69,313
-19.56%
Camarines Norte State College
10,092
9,545
-5.42%
Camarines Sur Polytechnic
Colleges
23,127
24,283
5.00%
Central Bicol State University
of Agriculture
39,294
16,518
-57.96%
Catanduanes State Colleges
18,917
17,025
-10.00%
Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, Sr.
Memorial State College of Agriculture & Technology
6,487
4,938
-23.88%
Partido State University
19,218
8,296
-56.83%
Sorsogon State College
14,941
13,937
-6.72%
REGION VI – WESTERN
VISAYAS
195,762
179,837
-8.13%
Aklan State University
16,149
14,534
-10.00%
Capiz State University
24,528
22,075
-10.00%
Carlos C. Hilado Memorial State
College
12,443
13,023
4.66%
Guimaras State College
3,515
2,264
-35.59%
Iloilo State College of
Fisheries
9,014
9,465
5.00%
Negros State College of
Agriculture
10,106
7,745
-23.36%
Northern Iloilo Polytechnic
State College
17,462
15,716
-10.00%
Northern Negros State College
of Science & Technology
4,630
3,812
-17.67%
University of Antique
18,623
10,731
-42.38%
Western Visayas State College
of Science & Technology
23,738
24,925
5.00%
West Visayas State University
55,554
55,547
-0.01%
REGION VII – CENTRAL
VISAYAS
138,470
128,332
-7.32%
Cebu Normal University
37,909
36,310
-4.22%
Cebu Technological University
31,080
32,634
5.00%
Bohol Island State University
23,668
21,301
-10.00%
Negros Oriental State
University
41,300
34,470
-16.54%
Siquijor State College
4,513
3,617
-19.85%
REGION VIII – EASTERN
VISAYAS
191,266
148,801
-22.20%
Eastern Samar State University
12,258
11,032
-10.00%
Eastern Visayas State
University
27,947
22,002
-21.27%
Leyte Normal University
19,678
17,738
-9.86%
Visayas State University (Leyte
State University)
32,586
30,540
-6.28%
Naval State University
11,388
9,349
-17.90%
Palompon Institute of
Technology
12,250
8,663
-29.28%
Samar State College of
Agriculture & Forestry
2,822
-100.00%
Southern Leyte State University
32,112
11,550
-64.03%
Samar State University
11,075
10,442
-5.72%
Northwest Samar State
University (TTMIST)
11,747
11,312
-3.70%
University of Eastern
Philippines
17,403
16,173
-7.07%
REGION IX – WESTERN
MINDANAO
71,205
68,171
-4.26%
Cerilles State College
9,320
8,574
-8.00%
Jose Rizal Memorial State
University
13,125
11,813
-10.00%
Western Mindanao State
University
33,269
35,095
5.49%
Zamboanga City State
Polytechnic College
4,854
3,469
-28.53%
Zamboanga State College of
Marine Sciences & Technology
10,637
9,220
-13.32%
REGION X – NORTHERN
MINDANAO
152,259
139,079
-8.66%
Bukidnon State College
15,227
14,249
-6.42%
Camiguin Polytechnic State
College
5,334
4,208
-21.11%
Central Mindanao University
35,368
37,136
5.00%
Mindanao University of Science
& Technology
24,470
20,444
-16.45%
MSU-Iligan Institute of
Technology
62,966
56,669
-10.00%
Misamis Oriental State College
of Agriculture & Technology
5,512
4,061
-26.32%
Northwestern Mindanao State
College of Science & Technology
3,382
2,312
-31.64%
REGION XI – DAVAO
REGION
67,345
46,321
-31.22%
Davao del Norte State College
5,443
3,999
-26.53%
Davao Oriental State College of
Science & Technology
6,987
5,388
-22.89%
Southern Philippines Agri-Business
& Marine and Aquatic School of Technology
9,255
3,122
-66.27%
University of Southeastern
Philippines
45,660
33,812
-25.95%
REGION XII – CENTRAL
MINDANAO
60,724
55,253
-9.01%
Cotabato City State Polytechnic
College
8,734
6,961
-20.30%
Cotabato Foundation College of
Science & Technology
11,453
9,408
-17.86%
Sultan Kudarat State University
8,640
7,594
-12.11%
University of Southern Mindanao
31,897
31,290
-1.90%
CARAGA ADMINISTRATIVE
REGION
35,420
32,555
-8.09%
Agusan del Sur State College of
Agriculture & Technology
4,739
3,365
-28.99%
Caraga State University
12,985
11,659
-10.21%
Surigao del Sur State
University
9,941
10,438
5.00%
Surigao State College of
Technology
7,755
7,093
-8.54%
AUTONOMOUS REGION IN
MUSLIM MINDANAO
113,222
100,151
-11.54%
Adiong Memorial Polytechnic
State College
4,331
2,998
-30.78%
Basilan State College
6,830
5,247
-23.18%
Mindanao State University
77,340
75,957
-1.79%
MSU-Tawi-Tawi College of
Technology & Oceanography
15,266
9,239
-39.48%
Sulu State College
3,930
2,637
-32.90%
Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural
College
5,525
4,073
-26.28%
*Figures in thousands Source: Proposed MOOE budget for state schools, GAA 2011, Dept of Budget and Management Compiled by Kabataan Partylist
Schools with more than 50% cut in their MOOE*:
Southern Philippines Agri-Business
& Marine and Aquatic School (-66.27%)
Southern Leyte State University
(-64.03%)
Central Bicol State University of
Agriculture (-57.96%)
Partido State University
(-56.83%)
Nueva Vizcaya State University
(-53.65%)
University of the Philippines
(-51.85%)
Aurora State College of
Technology (-51.84%)
Polytechnic University of the
Philippines’ MOOE budget will be cut by 20.53% or P23M
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UP students stage walkouts to protest education
budget cuts
