UP Unions Oppose Privatization of Gov't Services: Government employees face mass lay-off

Two employees unions of the University of the Philippines in a joint statement expressed their opposition to the latest plan to accelerate the privatization of government services which, they said, makes government employees the sacrificial lambs in the government's inability to raise sufficient revenues and to curtail public spending.

BY LYN V. RAMO
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat.com

BAGUIO CITY. Two employees unions of the University of the Philippines in a joint statement expressed their opposition to the latest plan to accelerate the privatization of government services which, they said, makes government employees the sacrificial lambs in the government's inability to raise sufficient revenues and to curtail public spending.

The All UP Workers Union (AUPWU) and the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) said that "payback time is here and the immediate potential victims are government employees," referring to the alleged misuse of government funds to buy votes to ensure a fresh mandate for the Arroyo administration.

Clodualdo Cabrera and Judy Taguiwalo, presidents of the AUPWU and AUPAEU, respectively, also assailed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for not effecting substantial benefits to government employees. Both mentioned that "as government employees, we have not received any salary increase under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration." On the other hand, they said, government employees have been subjected to increases in direct and indirect tax impositions by the government.

While the Arroyo administration went on spending taxpayer money during the elections, even before the official canvassing of votes for the President and the Vice-President started, a US-based investment bank and research firm Bear, Stearns and Co, Inc. has recommended the retrenchment of a substantial number of public employees in order to reduce government spending.

On June 2, the said unions observed, the Civil Service Commission's Karina David announced a rationalization scheme that would reduce the government workforce by as much as 30%. David reportedly agreed with the other multilateral institutions and investment banks that the planned cut in the number of government employees would result in savings for the government.

The joint statement also mentioned that "government deficit cannot be attributed to a 1.4 million government workforce for a population of over 80 million people." It said that various groups have, time and again, pointed out that the government deficit is principally a function of government's faithful adherence to liberalization and deregulation.

These policies have reportedly reduced government income from import tariffs. Besides, the automatic appropriations for debt payments eat up 29-40% of the government budget. "Patronage and corruption also account for the deficit," Cabrera and Taguiwalo said.

They said that the timing of the two news reports is but another proof that policies affecting our jobs as Filipinos and as government workers are formulated in Washington DC and in New York, both in the USA, as they likewise condemned the continuing subservience of the Arroyo administration and the Civil Service Commission to the dictates of multilateral agencies and other foreign firms such as the Bear, Stearns and Co., Inc. Bulatlat.com

ANALYSIS: 'Hand of Steel' of State Terrorism

By Amando Doronila
Inquirer
Last updated 02:36am (Manila time) 01/24/2007
Published on page A11 of the January 24, 2007 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

(Concluded from Monday)

A DAY AFTER police commandos stormed the Iloilo Provincial Capitol to evict Gov. Niel Tupas Sr., President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commended the Marines for the slaying of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Solaiman. She also told the convention of the League of Cities of the Philippines at the Manila Hotel that her administration was determined "to finish the job" of crushing Abu Sayyaf terrorism with a "hand of steel."

On Wednesday, the day of the raid, the government unsheathed the "hand of steel" at the Iloilo Capitol not against terrorists but against a hapless group of Tupas' supporters assembled in the capitol.

The assault sent out two menacing messages that shocked the nation: first, the "hand of steel" policy was not reserved exclusively for the Abu Sayyaf and extended to the regime's political opponents; second, it demonstrated in full that state terrorism has become an instrumentof the regime to crush not only the Abu Sayyaf and the long-running communist insurgency but also any form of legal opposition.

To appreciate the full extent of the application of the doctrine of state terrorism in Iloilo, it should be emphasized that the 200-strong, overwhelmingly armed police task force assaulted not a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf but the capitol to serve a dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman on Tupas and other provincial officials.

The raiders, using sophisticated automatic weapons, imagined they were mounting an assault on a band of terrorists holding hostages. But there was no such thing in the capitol to justify the excessive show of force. The assault was reminiscent of the Kempetai atrocities as they launched their nocturnal raids on civilian homes during the Japanese occupation.

The Iloilo assault has left a nightmarish scenario of state terrorism coming into full play during the past two years, driven by the administration' s campaign to eradicate the communist insurgency by the end of the President's term and characterized by the immensely huge toll of extrajudicial killings of suspected leftists and journalists. (The International Federation of Journalists recently reported thatthe Philippines became the second deadliest country for journalists, next to Iraq, in 2006. Thirteen Filipino journalists died during the year, bringing to 49 the number murdered by unknown assailants since Ms Arroyo took office in 2001.)

The TV footage of the Iloilo raid vividly portrays the atrocity of state-sponsored violence and foreshadows the atmosphere of violence in the forthcoming midterm elections where rivalry for congressional seats and local offices is expected to be overheated.

A replay of the footage in town plazas across the country should arouse alarm over the administration' s state terrorism doctrine and the dangers facing Philippine democracy if this is not stopped by an electoral defeat for the government in the May election. That footage is a powerful counter-weapon that does not cost much compared to the pork barrel the government is prepared to splurge.

The footage shows a 65-member strike force of the 6th Regional MobileGroup from Negros Occidental leading a 200-strong police force in the storming of the capitol. The troops smashed locks at the main gate and a glass door to gain entry into the building. The troops, in anti-riot gear, were armed with automatic rifles and machine guns and had their fingers on the trigger. They dispersed a few hundred supporters ofTupas gathered at the capitol entrance. Niel Jr., Tupas' son and amember of the provincial board, suffered bruises after the police pushed and kicked him.

Local journalists said policemen pointed M-16 rifles at them. The police crashed in after Tupas refused to obey orders from theDepartment of Interior and Local Government implementing the decision of the Ombudsman dismissing him on charges of graft and corruption.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the police assault after Tupas ignored Puno's ultimatum to step down in 48 hours to make way for Vice Gov. Roberto Armada. A timely temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals in Cebu stopped the raid and the arrest of Tupas.

The danger from the administration' s doctrine of state terrorism is far from over. The reaction of the Arroyo administration to the raid aggravated the episode and revealed the dangerous mentality behind the doctrine. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez criticized Chair Purificacion Quisumbing of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) forsaying she was shocked to see heavily armed policemen breaking into the capitol. Gonzalez derided the CHR chair for condemning the raid even though she was "not on the scene and has no basis for making such statements."

Gonzalez said Puno ordered the troops to storm the capitol after receiving information that released prisoners, armed men and NewPeople's Army rebels were inside the capitol. But Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, 6th Regional Mobile Group commander, belied Gonzalez's claims, saying that "when we entered we were surprised that there were no armed men."

Puno infuriated many when he defended the police, saying, "They should not be condemned. They should even be commended." He declared the assault a success "in general," and added, "I did not see any deployment of unnecessary forces. There were no serious injuries. No shots were fired."

Maybe Puno switched off the TV when the raid was under way. But words like these produce a widespread public backlash.

Ipaglaban ang PGH bilang Ospital ng Bayan: Rates Increase Tutulan

Siete pesos (P7.00) na blue card, magiging P15.00!
Isang libo’t limang daang piso (P1,500.)O.R. fee para sa charity!
4D Ultrasound ng matris - P600 charity rate!

Ang mga ito ay iilan lamang sa maraming dagdag at bagong rates na tinututulan ng All UP Workers Union Manila. Ang December 14 na memo (Memorandum No. 2006-131), na nagsasaad ng 29 na bago at dagdag na bayarin sa 6 na Clinical Units ay di makatarungan dahil ang serbisyo sa UP-PGH ay patuloy na tumataas at di na maabot ng marami nating kababayan. Sa taong 2005 at 2006, may 10 memo ng rates na kinabibilangan ng 111 na bago at 75 na pagtaas ng mga rates sa halos lahat na Clinical Departments. Malinaw na sa patuloy na rates increases, inaabandona ng pamahalaan ang pangunahing responsibilidad nito sa serbisyong pangkalusugan.

Bilang reaksyon ng PGH Management sa ilang mariing pamamaraan ng pagtutol na isinagawa ng Unyon ay nagkaroon ng diyalogo noong Martes, ika-9 ng Enero 2007. Tulad ng inaasahan sa pag-uusap, tahasang sinabi ng Management na dapat daw ay ipatupad ang hospital rates increase dahil daw sa mga isinaad nilang gastusin at kulang daw ang badyet mula sa Pambansang Pamahalaan. Kailangan daw nito ang karagdagang pondo upang mapatakbo ng episyente ang ospital at makapagbigay ng de-kalidad na serbisyo. Bagamat ang unyon ay sumasang-ayon sa layuning magbigay ng de-kalidad na serbisyo, di matwid na katwiran na ipasa ang malaking pasanin ng kakulangan sa badyet sa mamamayan.

Dagdag sa katwiran nila ay meron naman daw PhilHealth na tinagurian ng Management na “sugar daddy” na pwedeng hingian ng mga pasyente. Sa totoo lang, napakalimitado ng coverage ng PhilHealth; kapwa sa lawak ng mga sakit at presyong babalikatin nila, lalo na at napakaliit ng porsyento ng mga pasyente na meron nito. Sa isang agarang survey na isinagawa ng Unyon noong ika-11 ng Enero 2007 sa lahat ng mga pasyente ng mga Ward na karamihang pasyente ay operado; 70% ng mga pasyente/bantay na natanong ay hindi covered ng Philhealth (161 sa 229 na mga pasyente ng Ward 2, 4, 6, 8, 14B, 16 at SOJR).

Nanindigan ang unyon na hindi na dapat pang maningil ng karagdagan sa mga pasyente. Ang mga karaniwang nagpapatingin dito sa PGH ay mahihirap na mamamayan na sa simpleng pagpapa check-up pa lamang hirap na kaagad sa maraming gastusin tulad ng mga laboratory exams. x-rays, ultrasound at iba pa. Dagdag pa rito ang mga mamahaling gamot na nirereseta sa kanila na karamihan ay walang stock sa PGH Pharmacy. Halos maghapon ang pagpapatingin partikular sa OPD kaya dagdag pa sa kanilang gastusin ang kanilang pagkain o baon sa maghapon at gastusin sa pamasahe, na karamihan ay mula pa sa malalayong lugar.

Iginiit din ng unyon, na ang mga batayang karapatan tulad ng kalusugan ay dapat pinaglalaanan ng pamahalaan. Ang PGH na naturingang “Ospital ng Bayan” ay dapat maging ehemplo o maging modelong institusyon na nagtataguyod ng laan sa mamamayan, abot-kaya at de-kalidad na serbisyong pangkalusugan kaya dapat bigyan ng sapat na budget ng pamahalaan. Wag nating gamiting katwiran ang kakulangan ng badyet sa patakbong- negosyo ng ospital upang makalikom ng badyet na ang mamamayan naman ang nagdurusa, bagkus, dapat nating ipaglaban ang dagdag-badyet.

Sa pagtatapos ng nasabing pag-uusap, napagkasunduan ang pansamantalang pagtigil sa singil sa O.R. fee, dagdag na singil sa blue card at medical certificate.

Patuloy na naninindigan ang unyon na ibasura, hindi lang ang tatlong nabanggit, kundi pati na rin ang lahat na tumaas at mga bagong singilin na nakasaad sa memo. Maghanda tayo sa mas malawak at mas mataas na antas ng sama-samang pagkilos upang labanan ang walang patid na rates increase at ipaglaban ang ating karapatan sa kalusugan! Panatilihin nating ang PGH ay para sa bayan, at ang ating mga pagsikhay ay para sa bayan!

SERBISYO, HINDI NEGOSYO!

TUTULAN ANG PGH RATES INCREASE!

IPAGLABAN ANG KARAPATAN SA KALUSUGAN!

BUDGET PANGKALUSUGAN, DAGDAGAN!


All U.P. Workers Union Manila
Ika-12 ng Enero 2007

Tuloy ang Laban Kontra Rates Increase

Budget Pangkalusugan Dagdagan

Isang makabuluhang araw ang Biyernes, Enero 5, 2007. Una, nagkaroon ng pangkalahatang pulong ang unyon kung saan mayoryang napagkasunduan ang isang kilos-protesta upang ikondena ang Memo #2006-131 na nagsasaad ng dagdag at bagong singilin sa serbisyo ng PGH. Ikalawa, ang dagliang pagpapalabas ng panibagong kautusan ng PGH Administration: Memo# 2007-05 na nag-uutos ng pansamantalang pagpapatigil ng dagdag na singil sa blue card (mula P7.00 naging P15.00) at planong O.R. fee sa charity (P1,500.00)

Sa pagtingin ng unyon, ginawa ito ng PGH admin upang mapigilan lamang ang nakatakdang kilos-protesta sa araw ng kanyang inagurasyon (Enero 8, 2007). Malinaw na ang usapin ng rates increase sa PGH ay hindi pa tapos sapagkat ang dagdag na singil sa blue card at ang bagong O.R. fee sa charity ay “ipinagpaliban lamang hanggang sa pag-uusap sa ika-9 ng Enero 2007.

Ang All U.P. Workers Union ay nananawagan sa ating mga kawani at mamamayan na patuloy nating tutulan ang isyu ng rates increase sa PGH, sapagkat isa lamang ito sa maraming hamon sa atin ng 2007. Bilang siyang pinakamalaking ospital ng bansa, ang anumang nangyayari sa PGH ay sumasalamin sa kalagayang pangkalusugan sa buong bansa.

Simula pa ng taong 1993 hanggang sa kasalukuyan, ang budget ng ospital na nagmumula sa Pambansang Pamahalaan para sa personnel at MOOE ay nakatali lamang sa isang bilyong piso (P1 Bilyon) samantalang ang kabuuang pangangailangan ng ospital ay umaabot na sa mahigit P2 bilyon. Sa tuwi-tuwina, ang pambansang pamahalaan lalo na ang Malakanyang ay nagsasabi na mayroong sapat na pondo para sa serbisyong panlipunan tulad ng kalusugan. Subalit kung ating susuriing mabuti ang mga pangyayari, hanggang bukang bibig lamang ang lahat.

Sa isang banda, nakikita natin ang bilyon-bilyong pisong napupunta lamang sa graft and corruption tulad ng Macapagal Boulevard, Fertilizer Scam, ang pagwawaldas sa GSIS at marami pang iba. Sa tuwi-tuwina din, nandidiyan ang pagtaas sa suweldo ng pulis at military at ang taon-taong pagtaas ng budget ng pulis at military. Kamakailan lamang ay nag-anunsiyo ang Malakanyang at AFP na bukod sa dagdag budget ay mayroong nakahiwalay na P10 bilyon ang military para sa modernization nito para sa 2007. Kung ating matandaan noong panahon ni Presidente Ramos, mayroong P40 bilyon para daw sa AFP Modernization subalit nawala lang ang P40 bilyon at ni isang bagong jetfighter at barko ay walang nabili, sa halip nakikita natin na ang lahat na mga matataas na opisyal ng AFP lalo na ang mga Comptroller nito ay naging mga milyonaryo.

Samakatuwid hindi ito usapin ng kakulangan ng pondo para sa serbisyo, ito ay usapin ng maling pamamalakad ng pamahalaan at prayoridad nito. Kaya’t nasa atin ang paggigiit na bigyang prayoridad ang serbisyong panlipunan tulad ng kalusugan at edukasyon.

Tutulan Ang Dagdag At Bagong Singilin Sa Serbisyo Sa PGH-Ang Ospital Ng Bayan! Magmalasakit Para Sa Mamamayang Pilipino; Paglingkuran Ang Sambayanan!

All U.P. Workers Union
Ika-8 ng Enero 2007

Rates Increase sa PGH, Di Makatarungan, Tutulan

Isang linggo bago ang Pasko, ginulantang tayo ng Memo mula sa Direktor kaugnay sa bago na namang yugto ng rates increase kasama na dito ang pagtaas ng blue card mula sa P7.00 ay magiging P15.00; at ang O.R. fee sa charity mula sa wala ay magkakaroon na ng P1,500.00 na paniningil. Hindi natin maunawaan ang motibo ng nasabing pagtaas at dagdag na singilin sa harap ng patuloy na pagtaas ng antas ng kahirapan. Nakakalungkot isipin na sa gitna ng pagdiriwang natin ng Pasko at bagong taon, ang anti-mamayang patakaran sa ngalan ng “end-user fee scheme” ay ipinapatupad mismo dito sa atin sa PGH na kilala bilang ospital ng bayan.

Ang All U.P. Workers Union ay kumukondena sa anumang uri ng pagtaas ng singilin sapagkat alam nating ang Sambayanang naghihirap ang lubos na tatamaan ng patakarang ito. Tayo ay naniniwala sa ilalim ng “parens patria” na konsepto ng pamahalaan ay dapat ang mga batayang karapatan tulad ng kalusugan ay pinapangalagaan ng pamahalaan. Kayat dapat bigyan ito ng sapat na budget at hindi iniaasa sa pagbabayad ng mga mamamayang nangangailangan nito, lalo na ng mga mahihirap.

Batay na rin sa pinakahuling survey ng SWS tinatayang may 3.3 milyong pamilya o halos 20 milyong indibidwal ang nakakaranas ng gutom na hindi bababa sa isang beses sa nakaraang tatlong buwan (bagong pinakamataas na record) at ayon na rin sa rekord ng ADB at sa HDI ng UN, mahigit otsenta porsiyento (↑80%) ng mga Pilipino ay nabubuhay lamang o mababa pa sa dalawang dolyar ($2.00) na kita kada araw. Batay sa ganitong datos, masasabi nating walang puso ang sinumang may pakana sa panibago na namang pagtaas na ito, lalo pa at sa loob ng nakaraang limang taon ay walang nadagdag sa suweldo nating mga kawani ng pamahalaan.

Tama na! Sobra na! Panahon na upang tayong lahat ay makialam sa nangyayaring ito sa ating mahal na ospital. Ngayong taong 2007, ipinagdiriwang natin ang ika-100 na taon ng pagkakatatag ng PGH; ito ay itinatag para sa pangangailang pangkalusugan ng nga mamamayan lalo na ng mga mahihirap, huwag natin itong hayaang maging “Private General Hospital.”

Bilang mga kawani ng Philippine General Hospital, marami sa atin ang patuloy at tapat na naninilbihan dahil alam nating tayo ay nakakatulong sa ating mamamayan lalo sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan. Kung ang lahat ng serbisyo ng PGH, kabilang na ang operasyong pang-charity ay mayroon nang bayad, marahil, marami sa atin ang magtatanong: Saan na patungo ang serbisyo ng PGH; ng patuloy na paninilbihan sa PGH? Huwag nating hayaan na ang ating pagseserbisyo ay maging isang negosyo!

TUTULAN ANG PANIBAGONG RATES INCREASE SA PGH – ANG OSPITAL NG BAYAN! PAGTIBAYIN ANG ATING HANAY AT MAGHANDA SA HAMON NG 2007 PARA SA SAMA-SAMANG PAGKILOS!

MAGMALASAKIT PARA SA MAMAMAYANG PILIPINO! PAGLINGKURAN ANG SAMBAYANAN!

All U.P. Workers Union
Ika-2 ng Enero 2007

National Council Meeting sa UP Tacloban Malaking Tagumpay

2006 P5,000.00 na Additional Incentive at P1,000.00 na Christmas Grocery Allowance Naaprobahan ng BOR dahil sa Sama-samang Pagkilos

Malaking tagumpay ang miting ng Pambansang Konseho (National Council) ng All U.P. Workers Union na ginanap mula ika-21 hanggang ika-23 ng Nobyembre 2006 sa Guest House ng U.P. Tacloban. Ito ay dinaluhan ng lahat na mga kasapi ng National Executive Board (NEB), at mga Presidente at BisePresidente ng mga chapter sa iba't-ibang campus ng U.P. sa buong bansa at ng limang (5) kasapi ng konseho na inihalal sa General Assembly. Sa mga nakatakdang dumalo, ang kinatawan ng U.P. Mindanao at Open University ang hindi nakarating dahil sa problema ng kanilang eskedyul sa trabaho.

Matatandaang ang orihinal na eskedyul ng miting ng konseho ay sa ika-29 ng Nobyembre hanggang ika 1 ng Disyembre 2006 pa sa U.P. Los Baños, subalit dahil sa walang katiyakang sagot ng Management Panel sa miting ng Union-Management Consultative Board (UMCB) noong Oktubre ay naipasya ng NEB na sundan ang miting ng U.P. Board of Regents (BOR) sa Palo, Leyte noong ika-24 ng Nobyembre 2006.

Sa miting ng konseho, naitakda ang mga gawain ng unyon sa taong 2007 kung saan matatapos na ang bisa ng ating Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) at panahon na rin ng General Assembly at paghalal ng panibagong mga chapter at pambansang opisyales. Naitakda rin ang ating pagtutol sa mga hindi makatarungang probisyon ng panukalang Government Classification and Compensation Act of 2006 o mas kilala sa tawag na SSL III.

Kaugnay sa CNA, ang unyon ay maghahain ng panibagong teksto para sa panibagong pag-uusap sa U.P. Management bago lumipas ang bisa ng kasalukuyang CNA - mayroon man o walang hamon ng panibagong Certification Election mula sa kabilang unyon. Ayon sa tradisyon, itinakda ang Pangkalahatang Asembleya sa unang linggo ng Disyembre 2007, ito ay gaganapin sa U.P. Los Baños. Magdaraos naman ang unyon ng kampanya laban sa SSL III at sasama sa mga pagkilos ng All G.E. Coalition kaugnay dito sa susunod na mga araw. Ang All G.E. Coalition at binubuo ng mga unyon sa ilalim ng Alliance of Concerned Teachers, COURAGE, Alliance of Health Workers at iba pang mga unyong tunay na kumakatawan ng mga kawaning rank-and-file sa gobyerno.

Sa miting ng BOR (ika-24 ng Nobyembre 2006) , sama-samang kumilos ang mga kawani ng U.P. Tacloban sa pangunguna ng All U.P. Workers Union at mga estudyante ng U.P. Tacloban at School of Health Sciences sa Palo, Leyte sa harap ng Mac Arthur Park Resort Hotel sa Palo. Ang kawni ay upang ipaglaban ang P5,000.00 na additional incentive at P1,000.00 na Christmas Grocery Allowance. Ang sa mga estudyante naman ay upang tutulan ang P250% na panukala ng U.P. Administration na pagtaas ng tuition fee. Iisang boses na sinang-ayunan ng BOR ang hiling ng mga kawani samantalang hindi pa pinag-usapan ang tuition fee increase.

Anim (6) ang mga delegado na nanggaling sa U.P. Manila. Ito ay sina: Elesio Estropigan - Pambansang Ingat-yaman; Belinda Jubilo Santos at Ernesto Ragudos - NC Members-at-large; Jossel Ebesate - Pambansang P.R.O. at Presidente ng Manila Chapter; Jesusa Besido - Bise-Presidente ng Chapter; at, Freddie Waje - Chapter Council Member.

Getting Real on the UP Tuition Hike - A Rejoinder from USC

We would like to make a public clarification and rebuttal on Mrs. Solita Monsod's "Get Real" column published in the Inquirer on Nov. 25, entitled 'Trapo'-like spins on UP tuition hikes. This is not the first time she has written a column to defend the tuition and other fees increase (TOFI) proposal in the University of the Philippines, and her continued publicity of the UP administration' s twisted truths and false argumentations only reveals the real "trapo" there could be.

First, she purposefully underestimated the crowd that joined the boycott of classes last Nov. 23 in UP to number only "from 200 to 400 people." Anyone who passed by the demonstration program last Thursday noon could easily disprove her. We also wonder where she got her "information from all colleges on campus" that "none were cancelled for lack of attendance." Majority of the colleges in UP Diliman were present at the rally and even carried banners of their college's unity against the proposed TOFI, not to mention that boycott and protest programs were also successful at the other UP units nationwide.

Monsod also attempted to give malice to the participants of the rally by questioning if "they were all from the UP community" or "were all UP students." Indeed they were not, for the protest against TOFI has been actively participated by many other sectors from the UP community including her colleagues in the faculty who know better, and has been supported by other groups outside UP who oppose the commercialization of education.

Clearly, Monsod and her cohorts can only delude themselves by trying to undermine the collective efforts of the growing opposition to TOFI in UP.

Monsod furthermore defends the UP admin by proclaiming that "in the spirit of academic freedom and freedom of speech, they (rallies) are allowed, defended, and even encouraged by UP authorities. " We can hardly recall the last time that the UP admin allowed us to rally, and she must not forget the admin's harsh dispersal of the UP community's picket in protest of the massive lay-off of janitors in the campus only a few months ago. Even our premier student publication, the Philippine Collegian, has not withstood such granting of "freedom" and has been shut down for three months now.

Monsod then proceeds to echo the UP admin's basic pro-TOFI reasonings. She says that one reason that students may have been "indifferent" is because the TOFI will only be imposed on incoming students. This is precisely the pacifying logic the admin uses to promote indifference among students in order to proceed more easily with their schemes. The admin also uses this argument to avoid consultation with the present students and members of UP community. Such argument only fools us for it is as if we have already escaped the present crisis of education we are in by not directly enduring the TOFI, and that the present and future generation of students do not have the same objective interests for more accessible and quality education.

Monsod then champions the concept of the STFAP or the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program to supposedly group students to how much one should pay depending on his income. But Monsod (on purpose) failed to mention that under the current STFAP, three out of the nine income groupings are given full subsidy for tuition, and with the current proposal, only the first of the five new income groupings will be fully freed from the tuition, which the UP admin targets to be no more than 10 percent of the students. We know very well that the STFAP was actually created to implement tuition increases and make it seemingly palatable. As what happened in 1989 when the STFAP was first implemented, UP tuition skyrocketed from P45 to P300 per unit, and now, 90 percent of students fall under the highest STFAP grouping which pay that full cost of tuition.

If we really look at the social strata that is unfamiliar to the STFAP and to the economics specialist who is Monsod, 60 percent of our youth could not enter college anymore mainly because of unaffordability, and 90 percent could not finish their college degrees. UP being a state university, in case Monsod and company have totally forgotten, should not even entertain bracketing of tuition payments because there should be no tuition fee at all in a supposed state-funded educational institution. Given the crisis in the youth's education that we face, it is still hard to imagine the concept of free education nowadays (which is actually implemented in some countries, from primary to tertiary education), thanks to the likes of Monsod who makes things appear to be not so bad at all.

If bannering and clamoring to uphold that education, as a right, should be more accessible to our youth and should serve the interests of the people displeases the likes of Monsod, our students will not hesitate to partake for more.

Juan Paolo Alfonso
Chairperson
UP Diliman University Student Council
Room 204, 2nd floor
Vinzons Hall
UP Diliman, Quezon City