Filtered By: Topstories
News

Student protest mars Aquino's speech in UP


(Updated 8:26 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III was met with student protesters during the 100th graduation rites of the University of the Philippines (UP) Sunday where he was guest speaker. While Aquino was trumpeting his administration's achievements during his speech, the protesters unfurled a banner saying, "Walang pagbabago sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino (Nothing has changed under Aquino)." "Aaminin ko sa inyo, hindi naging madali sa akin na humarap sa inyo dahil na rin siguro sa tradisyon ng UP ng mainit at masalimuot na pagsalubong sa mga dumadalaw na opisyal ng pamahalaan," Aquino said in his speech. (I must admit, it was not easy for me to face you because of UP's notorious tradition of treating visiting government officials.) Authorities from the UP Diliman Police and the Presidential Security Group immediately stopped the protesters from unfurling more banners and ushered them outside of the event's venue. Aquino, who was conferred an honorary law degree during the same event, then proceeded to enumerate some of his administration’s accomplishments, such as the reduction of air pollution in Metro Manila and the implementation of the conditional cash transfer program. "Minsan nakakadismaya na hindi nakakarating ang magagandang balita. Huwag po sanang mamasamain kung babawasan natin ang negatibidad (It's said that negative news overshadow the good ones)," he said. The President likewise took swipes on Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who is currently facing an impeachment case before the Senate, and certain "plagiarists" under his administration. "Hindi ho ibig sabihin na kapag nasa mataas na posisyon na, pwede nang angkinin ang gawa ng iba (A high position doesn't give one the right to plagiarize)," he said.

At the end of his speech, Aquino dared the UP Diliman's more than 4,000 graduates to remember the values and knowledge they acquired from the state university. "Kapag mataas na ang posisyon ninyo, sana maaalala ninyo ang mga nakasulat sa slogan na itinataas ninyo... Utang na loob ninyo sa mga Pilipino na makapag-aral sa UP (I hope that when you reach the top you will remember that you owe to the Filipino people the chance to study in UP)," he said. Also present in the event were some Cabinet officials like Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman and Environment chief Ramon Paje. Three of the President’s sisters—Maria Elena, Victoria Eliza and Aurora Corazon—were also there. Insult Right after Aquino's speech, UP student regent Jaqueline Eroles handed him a "letter of request," after which she led the protesters to chant, "Edukasyon, karapatan ng mamamayan (Education is a right of every citizen)." In a statement, Eroles called Aquino's presence in UP's graduation rites as an "insult" to all the students. "President Aquino is a summa cum laude in budget cuts on education and other social services," she said. The Aquino government had slashed the UP system's budget this year by over P1 billion, which led to student walkouts in the state university earlier this year. Eroles said majority of Filipinos have yet to feel the reforms that Aquino promised during his campaign. "Walang pagbabago sa kasalukuyang administrasyon ni Noynoy Aquino. Pinapanatili niya ang sistemang nagbibigay-garantiya sa mga dayuhan ng limpak na pagkakakitaan sa ating bansa, ngunit hindi mabigyan ng garantiya ng trabaho at nakabubuhay na sahod ang kanyang mamamayan," she said. (Nothing has changed in the Aquino administration. He is maintaining the system that allows foreigners to abuse us but can't guarantee jobs with decent wages to Filipinos.) Top grad: Give back This year’s UP Diliman class valedictorian, John Gabriel Pelias, meanwhile, urged his fellow graduates to give back to the state university and to the country. In his valedictory address, Pelias challenged the batch of graduates, most of whom were first affected by the 300-percent tuition increase in the UP system, "to overcome the responsibility to contribute to society as products of the nation’s premier state university." "Ang layunin ng edukasyon sa UP ay hindi lamang ang pagkuha ng magandang trabaho, kundi ang paggamit nito sa hinaharap tungo sa ikasusulong ng lipunan na siyang nagtiis upang tayo’y mapag-aral," he said. (The objective of UP education is not for only us to get good jobs, but to use it in ways that will benefit the society that made it possible for us to have this kind of education.) Pelias likewise reiterated his intention to teach in the university, instead of working for private companies. "Ngayong magtatapos bilang summa cum laude, marami akong maaaring puntahang kumpanya kung saan madali lamang yumaman. Ngunit sa kabila ng hirap na dulot marahil ng aking estadong pinansyal, itutuloy ko pa rin ang aking balak na magturo sa aming surian," he said, (Now that I graduated summa cum laude, I can work in companies that can make me wealthy. But despite my financial difficulty, I will continue with my plans to teach here.) Aquino personally approached Pelias after his speech and shook the graduate’s hand. Pelias topped this year’s 21 summa cum laudes with a general weighted average of 1.016, breaking the university’s 63-year post-war record. - KBK, GMA News
LOADING CONTENT