A Problem of Student Activism Free Essay Example

Many in the academic community condemn the violent protests that took place recently at their campuses and at the CHED office but student activists justify their acts as a last resort to air their grievances. Chair burning. Paint throwing. Effigies set on fire. Slogan screaming. Unadulterated violence. No, these are not scenes created by adult dissidents, but by radical Filipino students of today. Last month, people witnessed violent on-campus protests that led to the destruction of property at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the paint bombing of University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco at UP Diliman.

The gates of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) office were also destroyed by uncontrollably outraged students. Surprised at such a show of hatred and aggression, many thought that student activists have totally gone out of control. But the League of Filipino Students (LFS), one of the largest student activist organizations in the country, looks at these forms of protest not as a knee-jerk reaction to issues, but as a result of a series of rejections for dialogue with the concerned parties.

THE BURNING ISSUE IN PUP

At PUP, the throwing of chairs and tables from the fifth and sixth floor of a building and their subsequent burning last March 19 stemmed from the proposed tuition fee increase from P12 to P200 per unit for freshmen taking laboratory-intensive courses such as Engineering and Architecture. Damages to school property allegedly amounted to half a million pesos. Five students involved in the incident were detained but were freed later on.

LFS chair Terry Ridon downplayed that cost, saying that they burned chairs that were considered scraps already. “The students are not that stupid to burn chairs that are still usable, alam naman nila yung plight ng PUP eh,” Ridon says. Dr. Dante Guevarra, PUP president, says youth activism has indeed become more aggressive. While students are entitled to express their opinions freely, he believes that it should be done peacefully and in consideration of other students’ welfare.

Destroying school property is never the right form of expression. “We encourage academic freedom in PUP but there are instances that the protests affect our program like the tuition fee increase. Had they not protested it, it could have generated as much as 50 million pesos a year in income. That could be used for infrastructure building and the purchase of laboratory equipment,” explains Dr. Guevarra. For the past 32 years, PUP has not increased its tuition fee amid its meager budget of P660 million a year. It offers the lowest tuition fee for its thousands of students from the marginalized sector of the society. Before the violence occurred, Dr. Guevarra says they were open to dialogue. But the student leaders were apparently not serious in communicating with him.

“We hold dialogues before we implement changes but they are wise. My records will show na hindi sila dumadating sa mga meeting. Nung minsan naman nagkaroon kami ng dialogue they didn’t want to talk about the tuition increase but about their funds in the student council. May kapilyuhan nang konti,” says Dr. Guevarra. LFS chair Ridon justifies the action. “This is a bread and butter issue. Tuition fee increases in a school composed of less fortunate and poorer students mean a lot will not be able to study anymore,” points out Ridon, a senior law student at UP Diliman. But Ridon says the real issue is the fight for the proper allocation of resources by government, and the long-overdue increase in budget for state universities and colleges.

DROPPING THE BOMB AT UP

Over at UP Diliman, UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco turned literally green when paint bombs were pelted at him (and his car) by student protesters. While Velasco considers the attack as a barbaric act by irrational, unthinking rabid persons, LFS’ Ridon thinks otherwise and defends the paint bombing. “Forms of protests like that are relegated to the most rabid, and to a certain extent, sinful persons. We’ve done it against Gen. Esperon in 2006 during the time two UP students were abducted. He went to UP to justify abductions and human rights violations of the regime. Tinapunan siya talaga ng itlog. Chancellor Velasco was pelted with paint bombs to express outrage for the years of repression and vilification of student organizations. In the last two years, I think he suspended the UPLB Student Council and the student publication, delayed the appointment of the Student Regent, and is also now responsible for the ousting of that particular Student Regent from UPLB precisely because he was sitting on her registration request papers,” Ridon laments.

He also accused Velasco of being responsible for the vilification campaign against progressive organizations, student councils and publications, alleging they are fronts of the communist party at UPLB. Chancellor Velasco vehemently denies any of these charges, saying these were totally baseless and irresponsible statements. According to Velasco, he was not responsible for the ousting of Student Regent and senior UPLB Comm Arts student Charisse Bañez. He says Bañez had pending cases with the Student Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) that prevented her from graduating in April 2009. Bañez also reportedly failed to file a Leave of Absence (LOA) for the second semester of 2009, despite reminders by the CAS dean, the CAS Office of the College Secretary (CAS-OCS). Banez’ request for late filing of residency was disapproved by Velasco for alleged lack of valid reason. A subsequent request for an LOA was also denied because she wasn’t able to meet the necessary requirements.

Velasco also denies accusations that he repressed and vilified student organizations at UPLB, nor suspended the student council and student publication. “Student welfare has been one of the priority agenda under my administration. We have increased safety and security measures on campus and have significantly reduced campus violence. We have never prevented students to organize themselves into protest rallies and openly expressing their opinions, even if many of these bordered on defamation,’’ he says, also lambasting the failure of students to properly account for at least Php1.2 million in funds collected in connection with the UP February Fair. Despite the assault on him, Velasco has not filed any charges against the protesters.

THE PRINCIPLE OF LOCO PARENTIS

No matter how violent students get, PUP president Dr. Guevarra says administrators should still be considerate and reasonable in dealing with the protesters, upholding the principle of loco parentis because they are their second fathers and mothers. “Kahit gusto mo silang bigyan ng leksiyon, andun pa rin yung element na titignan mo sila bilang estudyante, bilang anak ng mahirap, at mamamayan ng Pilipinas. At the same time titignan mo yung kasalanan nila, you have to weigh it. You shouldn’t treat them as common criminals because pag ganon mawawala yung elemento na they are in an educational institution and the one dispensing justice is an educator. Iba ang treatment kasi second parent ka nila, anak mo sila. Pag binanatan mo yan kaagad eh baka lalo lang mapasama yung bata.

Hindi puedeng basta expelled, ipakulong o posasan yan. Kasi pag ginawa mo yun, hindi ka na educator, you have become a jail warden,” says Gueverra. Ridon, on the other hand, stresses student activists know the art of self restraint, except on occasions when there are continuous rejection of calls for dialogue in complete equality between the parties. “Student activists police their ranks, we plan our actions, but if we are forced to up the ante of protests particularly in repressive circumstances, we will have to force the matter or to bring it to the fore of a national debate,” says Ridon, a former UP Student Regent.

Mary Grace V. Mora, a sophomore Journalism student at PUP believes violence will not solve any problem because it doesn’t go to the root of the matter. Students, she says, must know what self-expression and academic freedom are all about. “Sure, we are entitled to practice our rights but running amok isn’t one of them. We are entitled to practice our rights in the same way that we need to attend to our responsibilities. A peaceful approach to express grievances is always the best way. The government, on the other hand, should think of alternative ways to augment the university budget, proper ways that would not stoke the rage of activists to the point of violating the law,” she ends.