Corrupt officials siphon billions of pesos from the national coffer every year.Furthermore, almost half of the government's budget is allocated for debt servicing to please international monetary institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund which fund loans. The 2008 General Appropriations Act allocated P5.352 billion for the pork barrel of our legislators, P134.7 billion for education and P11.7 billion for health services.

These unfortunate realities are the same reasons why basic social services, like education, are neglected by the government. There are funds for corruption but there are none for education. The greediness of politicians is manifested in their multi-billion peso kick-backs on government projects. Politicos channel public funds to their pockets by transacting shady deals. The current administration is a like a web of corruption with President Arroyo at its center.

Out of its proposed P11-billion budget, University of the Philippines will only receive six billion pesos this year, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Incoming UP student regent Shahana Abdulwahid said that the centennial celebrations are the reason for the "higher" state subsidy given to the university this academic year. There's a strong possibility that state funding will decrease next year , she added.

According to a report by the Educator's Forum for Truth's published in the Philippine Collegian, the $130-million alleged kickback in the NBN-ZTE deal could have purchased 24, 237 chairs and 44 million textbooks, constructed 541,390 classrooms and hired 2733 teachers.

Last Feb. 28, the University Council of UP-Diliman called for the resignation of the president due to her alleged involvement in the botched deal. The body, which is composed of assistant professors and professors, stated that: "GMA entrapped herself in a web of lies. When she is caught lying, she either stonewalls or orders an investigation which churn out prefabricated results."

The council, which also includes administration officials of the university, also called on Neri to resign because of his involvement in the national broadband deal. According to the council, he is unfit to head the university's Board of Regents.

Catholic schools, such as the Ateneo de Manila University and La Salle Greenhills, have already issued their anti-Arroyo stand. These conservative schools openly condemned the "dysfunctional procurement system" and the institutional corruption in the government.

Fortunately, student activism in UP is not a thing of the past. Hundreds of UP students joined the call for truth rally, sponsored by the UP-College of Law last week.

The college issued a statement last Feb. 18 condemning the scrapped NBN-ZTE deal. The law institution also slammed the president's silence regarding the controversial NBN-ZTE deal. Dean Salvador Carlota said in the college's statement that the president at the very least should take a leave of absence. "Resignation is an option," the statement read.

During the rally, former UP President Francisco "Dodong" Nemenzo jokingly told the crowd that he is thankful to the First Couple because they keep the student activism in the university alive.