Amid the perennial lack of sufficient state subsidy for UP, the long-delayed construction of student tambayans at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) has finally started, with funds coming from Bayan Muna Partylist (BM).

BM Rep. Teodoro Casiño released on November last year P500,000 from his pork barrel for the construction of at least four tambayan structures following requests for financial support from Kanlungan, an umbrella group of 15 college- and university-based organizations, in 2005.

Construction of the tambayans has started last year in the left wing of Palma Hall (PH). The proposal for the structural design underwent three revisions in order to comply with the CSSP administration’s centennial plans for the college.

The umbrella group, formed in 2003 by college-based political party Saligan sa CSSP, is currently holding dialogues with the party-list group in a bid to clinch additional P500,000 for the project, according to Kanlungan convenor Ranier Sindayen.

According to the estimates by the Office of the Campus Architect (OCA), the construction of 30 tambayans would cost around P3 million. The OCA ordered on September 2003 the demolition of 28 tambayans at PH deemed unsafe due to severe termite infestation.

Mae Palgan, head of the CSSP Student Council’s Student Pavilion Team (SPT), contended that the final construction of the student pavilion should start after the funds were collected. The council-proposed complex, which will house 30 tambayans, will be located along the sides of PH, she added.

Sindayen, however, said the construction should begin as early as possible so that affected organizations in PH without decent temporary relocations could use the new pavilion.

Meanwhile, the SPT, an alliance of 30 student organizations in CSSP, has so far raised around P250,000, according to Palgan through income-generating schemes.

Sindayen, however, maintained that the construction of tambayans must be funded by the UP administration and not through income-generating schemes initiated by students. “Trabaho ng gobyerno na magbigay ng subsidy sa pamantasan para pakinabangan ng (mga) estudyante,” he added.

Palgan said that in a dialogue in June last year, Dean Zosimo Lee revealed that the construction of tambayans was not given budget allocation as the administration would prioritize the construction of the CSSP Faculty Center.# Philippine Collegian

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