First of all, I wish to congratulate the students of the UP Cebu community for surviving the recently concluded general elections and campaign for the 06-07 Student Council (SC). For sure, vestiges from the grueling campus electoral exercise remain. But in the face of an overwhelming multitude of definite challenges that we need to face, to linger on “very hard feelings” would be counter-productive and will only lead us to the dustbin of history.
Last February 1, we saw the execution of an increase in the Value-Added Tax from 10 to 12 percent. Moreover, there is the threat of another round of oil price hikes and a corresponding increase in the cost of goods and basic services while our parent’s salaries remain nailed to the floor.
Apart from worsening economic conditions, there are also political issues that remain unresolved. We have to cope with a president whose legitimacy and mandate the people continue to question, the debate regarding Charter Change, and the intensification of political killings and repression nationwide.
The problems besetting UP reflect this societal turmoil. Every year, we see the reduction of state subsidy. Likewise, the burden of shouldering the University’s operations is being passed on to the students through the intensification of commercialization as our facilities and services continue to deteriorate.
As we process our enrollment pre-registration, we will notice not a few changes. In line with a Malacañang directive, our school will be implementing a four-day school week and a five-day work week where all our subjects, including the PE and laboratory classes will be squeezed from Tuesday-to-Friday.
We are dismayed that we were not consulted when it is in fact us, the students, who will be directly affected by the undue pressures and fatigue that such an arrangement will bring. The long weekend can lead to the destruction of academic momentum while the 7am-to-7pm time-table may prove difficult for launching activities for the holistic development of the students.
Yet again we stand at the losing end from the government’s systematic misallocation of resources.
The SC, under my watch will be at the forefront of the struggle for the advancement of the student’s welfare. The experience of our fellow UPians in Baguio where this scheme was first implemented points out to the need for collective action and the assertion of our rights and interests.
We can follow the example set by the UP Baguio-University Student Council (UPB-USC) when they spearheaded a campaign to restore the original MTh-TF schedule. Their dedication and militancy brought back the six-day work week for certain student serices like the Library.
I am, however, no messiah. I cannot, like the traditional politicians of mainstream society, promise to make UP a better place. I cannot promise to have all anti-student and anti-people policies and measures prevented and have all the pro-student ones implemented.
The unification of our ranks, the unity of the students - these are the basic guarantees of the sure triumph of our cause. With such in mind, let us raise our determination to seek and carry out answers to the real issues that we will unavoidably be confronted with.
Let us move on as a whole - as a solid organization of individuals moving toward a common goal. Indeed, this is a challenge for everyone to meet. If we are to direct solutions to the short-term concerns we have at hand and continue the long-term fight for greater subsidy, we must succeed in this effort.
By Karlo Mikhail Mongaya
Chairperson-Elect 06-07
Student Council
