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On its 85th year, the Philippine
Collegian looks back at eight decades of
headlines that saw print on its pages &
sent ripples within and outside the university. |
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| 29 Nob 1990 |
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| IN STFAP BODY |
USC wants
more student
reps |
| Student participation in policy making procedures of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assisstance Program (ST FAP) remained uncertain as administration officials merely promised to elevate the student’s proposals to the Board of Regents (BOR) its following meeting. |
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Veritable warning |
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Philippine Collegian
Last updated November 28th, 2007 |
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There is no debate as to whether the 100-year old charter of UP should be revised, or that it should be revised to further serve the needs of the UP community and the society at large. It is a different thing altogether, however, when the UP administration, working according to the dictates of the neo-liberal education policies of the government, uses such as a venue to justify the intensification of commercialization and privatization in the university.
At the crux of the matter is democratization, may it be of the accessibility of UP education or of its governance. For fifteen years militant groups in campus have waged a war against the elitist and colonial charter of the university. Patchy and treacherous attempts by the administration to steer the deliberation and elevate iniquity into policy will never suffice to undermine our cogent struggle.
For nostalgia, time and again, will prove to be a double-edged sword. The administration will never have a monopoly over memory. Indeed we are at the dawn of charting another hundred years of the university’s history, and the government and its lackeys in UP will never cease to trumpet that it is high time we re-assess our efforts towards self-reliance. The productive use of our idled assets, as well as a host of other mechanisms to generate our own income, will now become the popular stance. The idea of participation in governance will be entertained, but only to a limited extent.
We posit, however, a different and alternative perspective. A charter that will legitimize the intrusion of private entities in the guise of “academic” tie-ups with corporations is the least that we need. A charter that perpetuates the current set-up of the Board of Regents as UP’s highest policy-making body, now dominated by Malacañang appointees, is one that merits our fiercest resistance. Ultimately, it is the charter that sanctions government neglect that will be met with our staunchest opposition.
We remain steadfast, therefore, with our call for a charter that will reiterate our unremitting yet valid demand for higher state subsidy. Recognition of multi-sectoral representation on decision-making bodies like the BOR continues to be our resounding declaration. The unconditional and accessible provision of quality education regardless of one’s economic standing is still of paramount significance.
Perhaps opposing forces can agree on one thing, that the charter is a mere document, and that in the final analysis, our collective vigilance and action will be most decisive. This, however, is not a call for complacency. More than anything, it must serve as a warning.
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# Philippine Collegian |
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Undeniable Involvement |
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UN special rapporteur Philip Alston’s recent pronouncement, while salient, does not surprise anyone. His final report released last Monday directly implicated the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the murder of leftist activists as part of a government campaign against the communist insurgency. He also rejected the official government line which points to an internal purge within the ranks of the CPP-NPA as the culprit behind the spate of killings. This, however, has always been the assumption long before Alston visited the country to compile testimonies and evidence.
His conclusions, along with the countless statements and inferences of a broad spectrum of organizations, church groups, and individuals, only serve to compound the mounting opposition against the Arroyo regime. The military’s culpability has long transcended mere speculation to become grim reality. No less than a body of the United Nations have concurred.
Alston also assailed the culture of impunity gripping law enforcement agencies, suggesting an apparent collusion among the Philippine National Police, the local courts, and the AFP. He said “the priorities of the criminal justice system had been distorted” upon observing that it is the victims instead of the culprits who are usually prosecuted. The “systematic” and “deliberate” execution of human rights defenders, union leaders, and agrarian reform advocates all serve to “narrow the country’s political discourse,” according to Alston.
As seen, it is not really the armed rebellion that the government is engaging. It is opposition, in the broadest sense, that it aims to quell. History attests to the violent machinations of regimes desperately clinging to power. Cases of wholesale corruption, doubts on its legitimacy, and a myriad of issues portend that the Arroyo regime is indeed in such a stage.
Of course the government’s spin doctors are scampering to look for damage control. Military officials deny that the administration has an official policy to eliminate activists who have staunchly criticized the administration on various issues. The key word here, however, is “official.” Always, what the government says is miles apart from what they do. Continued military operations such as the Oplan Bantay Laya, for instance, have wrought much aggression throughout the countryside.
Alston’s final report should not be left as a mere academic exercise, which fails to follow through with concrete action. If anything, his pronouncement, along with countless statements and condemnations, should serve as reassurances for toppling this repressive regime.
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# Philippine Collegian
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