REPORT (NOVEMBER 2014)

Submitted to the 1303rd Board of Regents Meeting

26 November 2014

Last Leg of the UP Student Summit

The Office of the Student Regent happily informs the honorable members of this Board
that they have already finished their consultative discussions on all of the units of the
University System. Students from UP Visayas Tacloban College, UP Manila School of Health
Sciences in Palo, Leyte and Baler, Aurora, and UP Diliman have already raised several
issues and concerns during the said assemblies. The said consultative discussions would
be very instrumental to the completion of the UP Agenda and List of General Demands, in
which a draft shall be presented to the General Assembly of Student Councils for
finalization and approval. After this, the said collated demands shall be presented to the
concerned offices across the UP System, and to the Board of Regents.
Visit on UP Visayas Tacloban College, and UP Manila School of Health Sciences in Palo,
Leyte in line with Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan Anniversary Commemoration
From 5-8 November 2014, Student Regent Neill John Macuha, and KASAMA sa UP
Chairperson visited Tacloban City as mentioned above. Upon arrival at Tacloban City,
members of the UPVTC Student Council immediately informed SR Macuha that a student
died due to an accident. He then met with UPV Tacloban College Dean, Dr. Anita Cular, and
Associate Dean, Prof. Bernadette Lorenzo, in which he asked their consent to tell the
President about the unfortunate incident; then, the Student Regent informed President
Alfredo Pascual upon his return, and would like to thank the President for extending his
support to the student. The OSR also commends the UPV University Student Council,
UPVTC SC, and the UP Visayas Administration for acting swiftly to extend their support to
the family that the student left behind.
On 6 November, SR Macuha met with the members of the UPM SHS Palo Student Council
and discussed several issues of the unit before his courtesy call with UPM SHS Officer-inCharge, Dr. Adelaida Rosaldo. Among the issues discussed with the Student Council and
Dr. Rosaldo are the need to have a more permanent site for the unit, improved ventilation
for the make-shift classrooms, and assistance to resume the Student Council elections
delayed by the Typhoon. To date, UPM SHS Palo still holds operations on UPV Tacloban
grounds, using tents donated by Tzu Chi Foundation as make-shift classrooms, and faculty
office.
However, during the visit of UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, she happily informed
that the rehabilitation of their old site at Palo, Leyte was already underway, pending the
construction of the permanent site at Sta. Elena, Tacloban City. She also donated medical

equipment to UPM SHS Palo. According to President Pascual during his phone
conversation with the Student Regent, he already gave instructions to the UP Manila
Chancellor to push through the rehabilitation. With this the OSR extends its highest
commendations to the newly-minted UP Manila Administration for acting swiftly to address
several of the need of UPM SHS Palo. Truly, Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and her team
proved that the trust given by the members of this Honorable Board was all worth it.
On 7 November, students from both units welcomed the arrival of the survivors from Samar
in their commemorative protest to demand justice for all of the Typhoon victims. Around
300 students joined the mobilization. In the afternoon, the UPVTC administration and
students held Paghinumdum: UP Tacloban Remembers, in commemoration of all those
lost lives connected with the college. SR Macuha delivered a solidarity message, and
committed his full support towards the calls for justice and speedy rehabilitation, not just
of the college but also all of the Typhoon Yolanda-stricken areas.
During the first year anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda on 8 November, the Peoples Surge
Network, together with other survivors of calamities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,
joined the protest mobilization asking for the full accountability on the criminal negligence
of the Aquino Administration on rehabilitation of calamity hit areas. They also assert that
they have received virtually no support from the National Government and thus calls for
the ouster of President Aquino.
In summary, the two UP Units are still a long way before they could resume normal
operations. Up to this point, several rooms still needs repairs, and university facilities
necessitates replenishment. The OSR hereby asks the UP Administration to fast track the
efforts, and still provide relief to constituents who still needs to recover from the gruesome
calamity. In addition, as the National University, it is imperative that UP join in the plight of
the survivors asking for urgent relief and rehabilitation.
Consultation with Students of UP Manila School of Health Sciences in Baler, Aurora
Many issues have been raised by UP Manila SHS Baler students to SR Macuha during his
visit together with Faculty Regent, Dr. Lourdes Abadingo. He will discuss those issues with
UP Manila Chancellor Padilla during his meeting on 27 November but the most urgent
issue in which the OSR feels that merits system intervention is the lack of faculty items,
and an establishment of an alternative power source to augment the unreliable power for
the units operations.
In addition, the OSR is happy to inform the BOR that during the recently concluded
Midwifery Board Exam that SHS Baler performed well, having all of 20 takers from the unit
passed, and taking home the top 1, 2, 3, and 6 places. The OSR extends its congratulations
to UP Manila SHS units for doing well in the board exams. Hopefully, this merits attention
of the UP and the government to provide additional support to SHS units.
International Human Rights Week
Up to date, several of our students are still being held in captivity by state forces as political
prisoners. For instance, it has been almost four years since Ms. Maricon Montajes of UP
Diliman was arrested, while Mr. Guiller Cadano and Mr. Gerald Salonga of UP Pampanga
were still in prison even though there were inconsistencies on the reports of their arrest.
.Ms. Karen Empeo and Ms. Sherlyn Cadapan are still missing, despite the arrest of Gen.

Palparan, and the continued lack of accountability and the culture of impunity on Human
Rights cases still flourish.
This is unacceptable. In line with the celebration of the International Human Rights Week
on 1 -10 December, the OSR calls on bringing speedy justice to the victims of Human
Rights Violations. In addition to the battle cry of freedom for all of political prisoners, the
Office renews its plea to the UP Administration to provide support to Ms. Montajes, Mr.
Cadano and Mr. Salonga, and the families of Ms. Empeo and Ms. Cadapan, and join in
the appeal for freedom and justice, respectively.
On Tuition and Other Fees
The Office of the Student Regent stands in solidarity with the students across the nation,
under the banner of the Rise for Education Alliance in calling for tuition hike moratorium,
and junking of all other school fees being collected to students. Many of the fees being
collected from students are exorbitant, redundant, and unjust, thus serves more burden
to our students. Despite the increment in tuition in 2007 to pass the cost of operation to
students, other fees have also been collected and are continually proposed to be
increased. Worse, there are also proposal to institute more additional fees to the demise
of the sector.
For instance, there were subjects in which laboratory fees are being collected but students
does not necessarily know where their payment went. Equipment and other materials
being used in the subject are being provided personally, and sometimes being asked to
pay for laboratory manuals on top of the laboratory fees. Not to mention being asked to
pay for additional electricity fee, otherwise known as saksak fee, change of matriculation
fee, dropping fee, leave-of-absence or awol fee, among other fees being borne by the
sector. Last, some of the fees being collected were too high and are additional burden to
the students.
Clearly, the injustice done by collecting exorbitant, unjust, and redundant fees must be
immediately scrapped. Asserting the public character of the National University, the UP
Administration must find ways to ensure that its education remains accessible even to the
lowest socio-economic bracket, thus merits the earlier assertion. In addition to the relief
that the junking of fees may benefit the sector, tuition increment must also be put on hold,
and eventually reduced, any increase in budget be transformed to services to students,
and assert to the State to increase the budgetary support not only of UP but also of
education and other social services.
For the students and the people,

NEILL JOHN G. MACUHA

Student Regent