PUP students, faculty stage walkout over budget cuts

Thousands of students, school officials, and faculty members of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) on Tuesday walked out of their classes to protest the budget cut on state universities and colleges in the 2012 budget. Among those who joined the protest movement, dubbed as the "We Strike Back" rally, were PUP president Dr. Dante Guevarra, a number of school professors, and employees. The protesters particularly criticized the government for allocating only a P737-million budget for PUP, far from what they said was the P2 billion that the school would need. "We strike back as we stand firm for our basic, fundamental rights and dignity as humans. In his administration’s new showing of its incompetence and absence of concern for the people, President Aquino passed a budget that is largely unresponsive to the needs of the people and insensitive to our condition," said PUP student regent Rommel Aguilar. The protesters likewise slammed the government's decision to make an over-all budget cut of P569.8 million for around 50 state univeristies and colleges in the country. Remaining SUCs, meanwhile, retained their "already lacking" budget. In March last year, enraged PUP students smashed desks and burned chairs in protest of the then looming almost 1,700-percent tuition hike from P12 to 200 per unit. Five students were arrested for the burning incident.

Other schools Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines — considered the premier state university in the country — has staged similar protest actions against the education budget cuts. UP Diliman students held a "freeze mob" and a noise barrage around the campus, while members of different fraternities organized a unity jogging against budget cuts. In a release, UP Student regent Krissy Conti said UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma joined faculty members Tuesday morning to express their opposition to the budget cut during a faculty forum inside the campus. Meanwhile, UP Manila students, wearing "We Are On Strike" shirts, staged flashdance and die-in protest actions along Padre Faura Street. UP Diliman students are set to hold a bigger strike and protest action from Wednesday to Friday, while UP Manila students are expected to do the same from Thursday to Friday. "If we do not demand our right to quality, accessible education now, then what will future Filipinos look forward to? Dilapidated school facilities, Sky high tuition, and more students drooping out of school? No. We are engaging the government today to make sure that this does not happen," said Einstein Recedes, National Union of Students of the Phippines president. Over at the Eulogio Amang Rogriguez Institute for Science and Technology (EARIST) and Culiat High School, students conducted a noise barrange and picketed their school gates. On Friday, students from all over Metro Manila are expected to march toward the Don Chino Roces (formerly Mendiola) Bridge in Manila. "From petitions for dialogues to open letters, we have exhausted all means of asking President Aquino for a budget which will allow our University to function normally without resorting to fee increases. It seems President Aquino is playing deaf to our entreaties for decent funding for our University," Conti said. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMA News