The League of Filipino Students is a national democratic mass organization committed to the advancement of the national democratic interests and welfare of the Filipino youth and the people.
The LFS is one of the oldest, largest, and most active youth organizations in the country. It aims to organize the Filipino students to struggle for their right to education and involve them in social change.
WRITE, SHOOT, STAND-UP! The LEAGUE OF FILIPINO STUDENTS Literary and Photo Essay Competition
An essaywriting, poetry, and photography compeition on the theme:
The YOUTH and SOCIAL CHANGE
JUDGES:
EssayWrting Rolando Tolentino Atom Araullo Patricia Evangelista
Photography Gil Nartea Rouelle Umali Raffyv Lerma
Poetry Writing Gelacio Guillermo Mykel Andrada carlos Piocos III
General Mechanics
1. The competition is open to all Filipinos aged 15-25.
2. Only one entry for each category per person shall be accepted. Participants, however, may submit an entry in more than one category.
3. The competetion’s theme for all categories, is “The youth and social change.”
4. Copies of the entry must be submitted together with an entry form. The form may be downloaded at here. It can also be secured from any member of the LFS in your school. Contest articles must not bear the name of the author.
5. Each entry submitted must be the work of only one person and may not be the collective work of a group. By signing the entry form, the participant certifies that the essay is an original work of only one person and does not infringe upon the rights of any third party.
6. All entries will become the property of the League of Filipino Students.
7. Entries, together with the entry form may be submitted to lfsphilippines@gmail.com or to any officer of the LFS.
8. Deadline of submission of entries shall be on December 19, 2008.
9. Winners shall be announced on January 15, 2009 and shall be contacted through phone and e-mail and shall receive the following prizes: First Place: P3,000 Second Place: P2,000 Third Place: P1,000 All Winners shall also receive gift packs from the LFS.
10. Entries shall be judged by a panel of judges selected and approved by the National Executive Committee of the LFS.
11. The LFS reserves the right not to award a prize or any prizes where entries do not meet contest standards or criteria.
12. All entries submitted may be used or published in whole or in part by The LFS or by other parties with its written permission. The LFS reserves the right not to publish any essay it deems inappropriate for whatever reason.
Specific Mechanics Essay: 1. The essay may be written in English or Filipino. It must be original, not previously published in print or online and must be 500-2000 words in length.
2. Criteria for judging: Content: Substance and originality, relevance to the theme: 60% Form: Writing style, composition and organization: 40%
Poetry: 1. Poems may be written in English or Filipino, written in any style and may be of any length. Submitted works must be original, not previously published in print or online.
2. Criteria for judging: Content: Substance and originality, relevance to the theme: 60% Form: Integrity, coherence: 40%
Photography: 1. Photographs may be taken from either a film or digital camera, but must be original, not previously published in print or online. Photo must not be enhanced/edited or digitally manipulated.
2. Photo resolution must be no less than 1280×1024 px.
3. Criteria for judging: Content: Originality and relevance to the theme: 60% Form: Composition and creativity: 40%
Dahil sa mga teknikal na problema, hindi na naupdate ang website na ito.
Para sa updated at redesigned na LFS Website, mangyaring bisitahin ang www.lfs.ph. Kung kakayanin, susubukan parin ng admin na imaintain ang LFS Multiply Site sa darating na mga araw. Salamat! :)
Roman (R): ...universities who were planing to increase tuition this year. We had ours last year, so we are not covered by it. I think it's very clear: there was no directive to rollback tuition. The request was for universities not to increase tuition this year.
Inquirer: So, um...
R: And since we did not have any tuition increase this year, we're not covered by the directive.
Inquirer: The rollback?
R: I did not hear the word rollback at all.
Inquirer: But, because… um…
R: That's the students! The directive didn't say any tuition rollback.
Inquirer: What actions would you…
R: No action! I mean it's pretty obvious. In fact we could have increased tuition this year because the approval of the board last year allowed for adjustment of tuition based on inflation. But we chose not to do that this year, because we're celebrating our centennial, and also upon request of the Student Regent. And so, we granted the request, so there was no tuition increase. I really don't know why they're saying rollback when it's not part of [President Arroyo's] directive.
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 02:46am (Mla time) 06/20/2008
On the third day of classes in the hundredth year of the University of the Philippines (UP), a freshman from Cotabato province, a Chemistry major at UP in Diliman, Quezon City, had to drop out. Together with his father, the brokenhearted young man went to see each of his instructors to have his subjects invalidated.
While his Math 17 instructor was deleting his name from the class list, I could see the poverty, desperation, anger and sense of resignation in their faces. It was not the disappointment of winning the lottery and being denied the prize later. The young man is a member of a minority group in Mindanao. Without any connections and in the absence of any socialized admission policy, he qualified as a freshman in the College of Science of UP Diliman, a distinction he earned through intelligence, pure hard work and perseverance amid poverty. But in a few days, father and son are going back to Mindanao for good.
The father explained they could not afford the “socialized” tuition at P600 per unit for students in Bracket C, families whose annual incomes range from P135,001 to P500,000 per annum. The father and son expected to be in Bracket D, families with annual incomes ranging from P80,001 to P135,000. Students in bracket D pay P300 per unit.
UP president Emerlinda Roman seems to be disconnected from reality, or she must be fooling herself by insisting that the new Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) is fair and proper for an “iskolar ng bayan” [scholar of the nation]. Her family should try living on P6,666.75 a month (which when multiplied by 12—the number of months in a year—equals P80,001, the lower bound of Bracket D incomes).
UP, no longer conscious of its role in society, chooses to ignore the long-term impact of offering greater genuine educational opportunities to the brightest among the poor, who are getting poorer amid the reported economic gains of the country. Socialized admission and tuition fee schemes do not lower academic standards. I’ve had countless students from public schools and far-flung provinces. They come to UP not as well prepared as their counterparts from the best schools in Metro Manila. But many later outshine the sometimes overconfident Manila-raised kids.
After the new STFAP took effect last year, UP is no longer an option for the brightest among the poor. I agree with the cab driver whose daughter qualified for UP Diliman, as narrated in Youngblood (Inquirer, 3/24/08) by Mariel Kierulf Asiddao, a UP Mass Communication student. The cab driver insisted it was ESTIFAK and not STFAP.
NOLI N. REYES, professor, Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Militants vow more protests against fuel price increases
By Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 01:23:00 06/22/2008
MANILA, Philippines--A militant group vowed Saturday to continue holding "angry protests" to show the public's "intensifying" outrage over the government's inaction on the weekly oil price increases.
"The Arroyo government and the oil companies must expect more of these protests in the coming days and weeks. We assure them that each oil price hike will be met with growing and intensifying protests," said the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, through its public information officer Arnold Padilla.
On Friday, activists from Bayan's member-organizations paralyzed traffic for several minutes after they lay down on the busy intersection of E. Rodriguez and Araneta avenues in Quezon City to protest another round of P1.50 liter increase in petroleum prices.
The protesters also held a noise barrage and blocked and spray-painted passing oil tankers.
Also Friday, members of the militant youth group League of Filipino Students (LFS) picketed the main office of major oil player Petron Corp. in Makati City and pelted the building with tomatoes.
Padilla told reporters that with this weekend's price hike, the pump price of diesel has now jumped since the start of the year by more than 32 percent, kerosene, by 34 percent, and unleaded gasoline by 30 percent.
He estimated that the government's collections from the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on diesel had increased from P4.61 per liter in January to P6.11 in June; on kerosene from P4.80 to P6.42, and on unleaded gasoline from P5.33 to P6.96.
Bayan said it was unfair that the government kept earning billions of pesos from the VAT on oil while ordinary Filipinos had to bear the brunt of not just the rising cost of fuel, but also the resulting increase in the prices of goods and services.
"Such huge increases in oil prices in just less than six months, and the billions of pesos in windfall that the government rakes in from the oil VAT due to these increases at the people's expense are intolerable. At a time of increasing rice and food prices, worsening joblessness and poverty, public outrage against oil price hikes, the VAT and government's lack of a meaningful response is just unreasonable," Padilla said.
Bayan reiterated its demand for the removal of the VAT on oil to immediately bring down pump prices by P6 to 7 a liter and provide much needed relief to the people. It also called for the repeal of Republic Act No. 8479 or the Oil Deregulation Law to control local oil price movements.
LFS protests US intervention in the Philippines says RP independence "a sham"
Press Release June 12, 2008
The League of Filipino Students today held a rally at the United States Embassy in Manila today to protest the "sham independence" of the Philipppines and to call for an end to "US intervention" in the country.
"Today, the country is celebrating 110 years of our declaration of independence. We students cannot join the government's celebrations for we know that our country is yet to win genuine independence from foreign control," said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of the LFS.
Crisostomo said that the country remains a colony of the United States due to the continuing intervention in the country's political, military and economic affairs.
"We have a puppet president who blindly obeys the dictates of the US and other foreign powers even if it is at the expense of Filipinos," he added.
According to Crisostomo, "We still remember Nicole and how our government stood by the side of the convicted rapist Daniel Smith by allowing him to be detained insidide the US embassy instead of Philippine jails."
The youth leader said that besides the US influence on our armed forces through policies and programs like the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Balikatan exercises, their dictates extends to our economy as well.
Crisostomo explained that the current economic crisis being experienced by the country including the 9.6% inflation rate was the result of the government's neo-liberal policies that were pushed by the US.
The students said that they shall never celebrate Independence Day until the Philippines becomes freed from "imperialist control."
"As a result of government subservience to foreign dictates, our country has become a mere source of raw materials for their markets and of cheap labor for their industries," said Crisostomo. ###
Reference: Vencer Crisosomo, National Chairperson, 09228262606, venzie@gmail.com Ron Villegas, National Vice-chairperson and Information Officer, 09157991059, ronvil@gmail.com
Visit the New LFS Website: www.lfs.ph Students protest high school fees, low education budget in school opening
Press Release June 10, 2008
The League of Filipino Students (LFS) and other militant youth groups marked school opening today with various protests in major unversities and campuses. Students from UP, PUP, UST, UE, FEU, TIP, Mapua, PLM, and many others, held rallies and noise barrage activities to protest increases in tuition and other school fees this year and low government spending in education.
According to LFS national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo, tuition rates in private tertiary institutions in NCR have doubled since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed office, from an average of P391.34 per unit in SY 2000-2001 to the current NCR average of P855.20 per unit, or by 118.53%. The national average meanwhile increased by 69.81% from P257.41 in 2000 to P437.10 per unit in 2006. This year, 378 out of 1,800 private schools nationwide have increased their tuition rates by an average of 10%.
Crisostomo said that due to the government's refusal to regulate tuition rates in private schools, tertiary education has been abused by "capitalist vultures," turning campuses into profit-making enterprises by collecting "unjust and exorbitant fees" from parents and students.
He cited as example private schools owned by business tycoons which are consistently on the list of the nation's top 1,000 moneymakers, raking hundreds of millions of pesos in profits annually.
"Arroyo is to blame for the high tuition rates at present. She allowed the big capitalist-educators to increase their tuition rates unjustly year after year, despite clear provisions of the law stating that the government should ensure affordable education at all levels and should impose reasonable regulation," he said, citing Art. XIV, Sec. 1 and Sec. 4 of the 1987 Constitution.
Crisostomo also said that government subsidy for education is "ridiculously low" as the 2008 education budget of P149 billion equates to only around P12 per day for each Filipino youth aged 6-24 years old.
He also said that education spending under the Arroyo government have steadily declined, from 17.4% of the national budget in 2001 down to only 13.9% in 2006. Also, allotment fell from 3.3% of the GNP in 2001, to only 2.19% this year, farther than ever from the UNESCO recommended 6%.
"The Arroyo government has clearly been neglecting education since 2001. It has committed grave crimes against the education sector, the students and the youth. It is imperative for the students and youth, as classes resume, to renew the fight against Arroyo's corruption and tyranny, and fight for meaningful reforms in the education system and society," he said.
The LFS vows to renew and strengthen the anti-Arroyo protest movement as school opens and warns of school walk-outs and student strikes nationwide in the coming weeks. #
Reference: Vencer Crisostomo, LFS National Chairperson, 09228262606, 09157991059
Visit the New LFS Website: www.lfs.ph A day before classes start
Students and teachers march to Mendiola
Press Release June 9, 2008
A day before classes for the new school year start, students and teachers marched toward Mendiola Bridge today to protest the rising cost of education in the country. The protesters, which were led by the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) came from various high schools and universities around Metro Manila.
"Because the cost of education continues to increase, more and more families find it difficult to send their children to school and as a result, the annual enrollment rate continues to drop," said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of the LFS.
"Arroyo's order against uniforms in public schools and her 1-billion peso subsidy barely scratch the surface of the problems that plague basic education in the country. These are mere stop-gap solutions intended to boost Arroyo's popularity," said Crisostomo.
"In reality, the government spends only seven pesos per student per day. If Arroyo is sincere in improving the quality of education, she could begin by increasing that amount," said the youth leader.
The students added that today's protest marks the beginning of their balik eskuwela, balik protesta campaign and warned of more protest actions in the coming weeks. ###
Reference: Vencer Crisostomo, National Chairperson, venzie@gmail.com, 09228262606
Ron Villegas, National Vice-chairperson and Information Officer, ronvil@gmail.com, 09157991059
By Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 04:34am (Mla time) 06/09/2008
MANILA, Philippines—A militant student group on Sunday asked why private colleges were not covered by the tuition moratorium announced by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The League of Filipino Students said tuition in private tertiary learning institutions should be regulated by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the government.
LFS national chair Vencer Crisostomo said there were more private than public college students. He cited 2004 government data that showed there were only 424 public colleges against 1,363 private ones.
“And the private schools are the ones more notorious in increasing their tuition unjustly precisely because government refuses to regulate tuition,” he said.
The Constitution, he pointed out, pins on the state the responsibility of ensuring quality and accessible education.
He also said CHEd had the power to regulate tuition as provided for in the Charter.
Crisostomo said, “The government should be held responsible for betraying the Constitution and letting tertiary education fall into the hands of vultures.”
According to CHEd data, 378 private tertiary schools increased tuition this year at a nationwide average of 10 percent.
LFS wants tuition increases suspended and investigated with an eye toward rolling back the rates if schools are proven to have abused their discretion to raise fees.
Crisostomo said there was no reason to allow tuition increases in private schools as most of them were raking in hundreds of millions in profits from their collection of “unjust” fees.
Visit the New LFS Website: www.lfs.ph Don't take us for fools
Students deface 'ramdam na ang kaularan' tarpaulins
Press Release June 8, 2008
The League of Filipino Students today defaced government "ramdam na ang kaunlaran" tarpaulins to show their outrage over what they consider to be government efforts of "duping" the country.
"Does Arroyo think that she can fool the nation into believing her lies of an improving economy by putting up government propaganda all over Metro Manila?" asked Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of the LFS.
"The government's tarpaulins cannot deny that everyday is a struggle to bring food on the table for a large majority of Filipinos. More than that, it is an insult to all as we are in the midst of an economic crisis," said the youth leader.
Armed with cans of spray paint that they used to paint over the tarpaulins, the students also questioned the budget for the posters.
"The people do not want their money to be used so that they can be told that the economy is improving. What the people want is that their money is used for classrooms, housing, health care, and other social services which fall at the bottom in the list of government priorities," said Crisostomo.
"We call on the people to do the same when they see these posters in their neighborhood and show this government how dissatisfied we are of Arroyo," said Crisostomo. ###
Reference: Vencer Crisostomo, National Chairperson, venzie@gmail.com, 09228262606 Ron Villegas, Vice-chairperson and Information Officer, ronvil@gmail.com, 09157991059
Student group urges ban on tuition fee hikes By Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 22:21:00 06/07/2008
MANILA, Philippines — A militant student group on Saturday questioned the non-inclusion of private schools in the tuition moratorium announcement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, saying this has left a greater number of the country’s students to the mercy of “education vultures.”
The League of Filipino Students said tuition in private learning institutions should be regulated by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the government.
LFS national chair Vencer Crisostomo said there were more private tertiary schools than public schools and more students were enrolled in tertiary private schools. He cited 2004 government data showing there were only 424 public schools against 1,363 private schools.
“And the private schools are the ones more notorious in increasing their tuition unjustly precisely because government refuses to regulate tuition,” he said.
He said it was within the powers of CHEd to regulate tuition, saying that no less than the 1987 Constitution states the responsibility of the state to ensure quality and accessible education.
“The government should be held responsible for betraying the Constitution and letting tertiary education fall in the hands of vultures,” Crisostomo said, citing Art. XIV, Sec. 1 of the 1987 Constitution which states:
According to CHEd data, 378 private tertiary schools have implemented a tuition increase this year with a nationwide average of 10 percent.
LFS called for the suspension and investigation of tuition increases with a view to rolling them back if schools were proven to have abused their discretion in raising fees.
According to Crisostomo, there should be no reason to allow increases in tuition in private schools as most of the schools were making millions in profits.
He added that big private schools such as University of the East, Centro Escolar University, Mapua Institute of Technology, Far Eastern University, Feati, National Teachers College, Manila Cenral University, Cebu Doctors University, and Velez College have been consistently on the list of the country’s Top 1.000 Corporations.
“Many will not be able to enroll this year because of the greed of the big ‘capitalist-educators.’ In this light, allowing them to raise tuition further is criminal,” Crisostomo said.
LFS calls for regulation of private school tuition; says “education vultures” raking millions in profits
June 7, 2008
The League of Filipino Students (LFS) today questioned the non-inclusion of private schools in the tuition moratorium announcement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and insisted that tuition in private schools should be regulated by the Commission on Higehr Education (CHED) and the government.
According LFS national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo, there are currently more private tertiary schools than public schools and more student are enrolled in tertiary private schools.
“As of 2004, there were only 424 public schools as opposed to 1,363 private schools. And the private schools are the ones more notorious in increasing their tuition unjustly precisely because government refuses to regulate tuition,” said Crisostomo.
Crisostomo said that there should be no reason to allow increases in tuition in private schools as most of the schools are raking hundreds of millions in profits from their collection of unjust fees.
“The biggest private schools like University of the East, Centro Escolar University, Mapua Institute of Tech, Far Eastern University, Feati, Natl Teachers College, Manila Cenral University, Cebu Doctors University, Velez College, are consistently in the list of the country’s Top 1000 Corporations. These schools register profits as big as P292M annually, and equities amounting to as much as P1.9B,” he said, citing data from the Top Moneymakers feature in the 2003 issue of Graphic.
Crisostomo said that this only proves that “vulture” school owners are indeed “robbing” the students and parents of precious education money in order to make business.
“Many will not be able to enroll this year because of the greed of the big ‘capitalist-educators.’ In this light, allowing them to raise tuition further is criminal,” Crisostomo said.
According to Crisostomo, tuition increases in private schools will effect more drop-outs this year. “Out of a 10 students who enter Grade 1 only 2 will reach college, and only 1 will get to have a degree. This situation will worsen for sure as tuition fees soar,” he said.
Crisostomo also said that it is within the powers of CHEd to regulate tuition.
“No less than the 1987 Constitution states the responsibility of the state to ensure quality and accessible education. The governemnment should be held responsible for betraying the Constitution and letting tertiary education fall in the hands of vultures,” he said.
Crisostomo cited Art. XIV, Sec. 1 of the 1987 Constitution which states:
The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
Also, Sec. 4 (1) of the 1987 Constitution more clearly stipulates the government’s regulatory policy:
The State recognizes the complementary roles of public and private institutions in the educational system and shall exercise reasonable supervision and regulation of all educational institutions.
According to CHEd data, 378 private tertiary schools have implemented a tuition increase this year with a nationwide average of 10%.
The LFS wants the tuition increases suspended and investigated in order to effect a rollback in rates if schools are proven to have abused their discretion in raising school fees. #
Students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman yesterday staged a "cultural protest" to kick off their weeklong action against tuition fee increase.
With songs, poems and speeches against tuition hike and alleged exorbitant fees in their school, members of the Ugnayang Multi-sektoral Laban sa Komersyalisasyon–College of Mass Communication, an alliance of student organizations in UP, demanded the rollback of the 300-percent tuition increase in their university that was implemented last year in view of the skyrocketing prices of oil, energy and basic commodities. The group held their program in front of students queuing for their enrolment forms.
Marian Rose Uichanco, convenor of UMAKSYON–CMC, said that a rollback on their tuition will definitely bring economic relief to the families of freshmen and sophomores in UP. These batches, she noted, were the ones affected by the tuition hike.
"State universities and colleges like UP should be catering to the financially underprivileged during these difficult times. But now that UP has tuition that is comparable to private universities, with P1,000 per unit as base bracket, the country's premiere state university has conclusively negated its orientation as a university for the underprivileged but deserving students," Uichanco said. At the same time, the students called for the scrapping of laboratory fees in their college.
Jose Carlos Maningat, spokesperson of the League of Filipino Students–CMC, said laboratory fees in their college range from P200 to P1,200 while there remains pending petitions for laboratory fees hike in more than 10 subjects, which are also set to be approved this semester.
Maningat said that the amount of laboratory fees now has a significant economic value especially since the disposable income of families nowadays has already shrunk from its real value due to soaring prices of basic commodities.
"A laboratory fee of P600 if scrapped, for instance, can mean additional 16 kilos of rice for a Filipino family," Maningat said.
Ugnayan ng Mag-aaral laban sa Komersyalisasyon- UP Diliman
What is the Ugnayan ng Mag-aaral laban sa Komersyalisasyon or UMAKSYON?
It is a broad alliance of student formations – organizations, fraternities and sororities, freshmen blocks, student councils and publications – of iskolars ng bayan of the University of the Philippines united in fighting for our right to education and opposing the intensifying commercialization of education. It enjoins iskolars ng bayan to participate in fighting for our right to education through various creative forms of action.
What does UMAKSYON believe in?
UMAKSYON believes that education is a right of the iskolars ng bayan and the Filipino people. It therefore opposes the intensifying commercialization of education – the selling of education as a commodity – which makes education a right of a few who can pay and not the right of everyone. It believes that as a right, education must be provided by the state to the people. It therefore fights for greater state subsidy for UP and education.
It opposes the following forms of commercialization of education in UP Diliman:
The 300% UP system-wide tuition increase
The various lab fee increases in different UPD colleges, particularly in the Colleges of Mass Communication and Engineering
The utilization of the UP Arboretum for call centers and commercial establishments in th guise of a Science and Technology Park
The continuing threat of demolition of UP Diliman informal communities as part of the UP Administration’s goal of consolidating its territory to further its investment viability
What are the objectives of UMAKSYON?
UMAKSYON wants to unite as many iskolars ng bayan as possible in fighting for our right to education and in opposing the intensifying commercialization of education. It wants to translate this unity in principle into collective and creative action. It wants to call the attention of the public, the UP Administration and the government to its advocacies.
At present, it is involved in the campaign to rollback the 300% UP System-wide tuition increase in light of the current economic crisis of food and energy the country faces. More so, it also stands for the total junking of the UP tuition increase policy by the UP Administration, as the policy itself is the greatest means by which the education in UP is commercialized, thus, precluding many prospective Iskolars ng Bayan from entering the University and enjoying their right as Iskolars ng Bayan.
How will UMAKSYON achieve its objectives?
UMAKSYON plans to achieve its objectives through the following:
Launch a widespread and sustained education campaign on the right to education and the intensifying commercialization of education,
Seek out, craft, and utilize creative forms of action, and
Deepen research and analysis on the commercialization of education.
How will UMAKSYON work?
As main convenors of UMAKSYON, the Office of the UP Student Regent and the Student Alliance for the Advance of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP) are asking all student formations to join UMAKSYON. All members of UMAKSYON shall meet at least once in every two months in the UMAKSYON Meet. UMAKSYON shall have in the minimum four (4) committees: (1) secretariat, (2) education and research, (3) propaganda, and (4) finance. Members shall be asked to join one of these committees.
We also request all student formations to become co-convenors of UMAKSYON. The As co-convenors shall form the Board of Convenors which shall meet regularly to ensure the implementation of the plans of UMAKSYON. It is from the Board of Convenors that heads of the committees shall be appointed. Committees will likewise hold regular meetings to ensure the implementation of the plans of UMAKSYON.
UMAKSYON Manifesto
As part of the united resolve of Iskolars ng Bayan to decisvely confront the unabated commericialization of our beloved University, We, student councils, student publications, student organizations, fraternities and sororities of the University of the Philippines Diliman, unequivocally declare the following:
UMAKSYON believes that education is a right of the iskolars ng bayan and the Filipino people. It therefore opposes the intensifying commercialization of education – the selling of education as a commodity – which makes education a right of a few who can pay and not the right of everyone. It believes that as a right, education must be provided by the state to the people. It therefore fights for greater state subsidy for UP and education.
That the 300% UP System-Wide tuition increase be rolled back by the UP Administration, in light of the current economic crisis the country faces, particularly the skyrocketing prices of rice, oil and other basic commodities. According to reports, the price of gasoline might reach as high as PhP65/liter while the price of rice might reach as high as PhP60/kilo. Both are utterly unreasonable economic burden the average Filipino family needs to bear which the UP Administration needs to recognize as well. Thus, the University of the Philippines must actively contribute its part in alleviating the plight of its tens of thousands of students who face these difficult economic conditions, all of which cannot necessarily be answered by UP’s mere offer of student loans and numerous scholarships.
That in order for the best and the brightest Filipino youth to continue enjoying their right to education in the years to come, the approved 300% UP sytem-wide tuition increase policy last December 2006 must be abated conclusively. In the last two years of its implementation, the University of the Philippines saw a decline in enrollment of freshman students, especially in unmarketable yet very important academic institutions such as creative writing, geodetic engineering, fisheries, among others. There have also been countless reports of unjust mismatches in the STFAP, in which many poor yet deserving students are rebracketed to Brackets C and B despite conclusive proof of their economic situation. This has led to a record number of unneccesary student loans and several reports of student dropouts by year-end.
That, while the UP Administration has much to account for pushing this policy to the detriment of our right to accessible education, the greatest accountability lies in the doorsteps of Malacanang. For years, the policy of the Arroyo government has always been to force state colleges and universities (SCUs) to internally generate its own income for operations, as the long-standing policy of her government is to annually decrease subsidies to these state schools under the Long-Term Higher Education Development Plan (LTHEDP) of the late 90s. This policy is clearly anathema to the long-term development of our state schools, especially the University of the Philippines. First, instead of the UP being able to recruit the best young minds in the country today, numerous students may be unnecesarily hampered by ther financial incapacity to pay the high tuition rates that shall be imposed under such a commercialization policy by government. Second, such a policy shall only lead to greater commercialization measures by state schools such as the utilization of idle assets for commercial purposes instead of using these lands for the further development of our academic programs and institutions. Worst of all, this policy clears the way for the likely future of total state abandonment of our state colleges and universities, where these SCUs shall soon operate like private educational institutions with high tuition rates and without the needed government subsidies to ensure that all students regardless of socio-economic class may enjoy a college education.
That, the only answer to the increasing financial woes of the University and other SCUs has always been full subsidies by the Arroyo government to these schools, as no amount of tuition increases or commercialization measures can necessarily account for the structural backwardness of our academic institutitions to make it at par with leading universities abroad.
That, as the leading alliance against commercialization, UMAKSYON shall unite as many iskolars ng bayan as possible in fighting for our right to education and in opposing the intensifying commercialization of education. It shall translate this unity in principle into collective and creative action. It shall call the attention of the public, the UP Administration and the government to its advocacies.
During this registration period, nothing can be more unwelcome than the host of exorbitant fees that will be sucked from the pockets of families already burdened by the soaring prices of basic commodities and worsening economic conditions.
Just like any commodity in the market today with steep price hikes, academic courses in our college are rendered more expensive with last year’s tuition fee increase and the recent hike in laboratory fees in some Broadcast Communication subjects. These schemes can be deemed as nothing but indicators of long-standing commercialization policies of education which the Arroyo regime created from a neoliberal mold.
The recent move of the government to freeze tuition hikes this coming academic year in state colleges and universities only reflects its insincerity. Rather than abolish existing policies that breed incessant hikes in tuition and miscellaneous fees, the Arroyo regime has resorted to a belated band-aid solution to save its face during these period of declining living standards.
When the 300 percent tuition fee increase in our university has already done its damage, the moratorium on tuition hikes becomes pointless. It is then highly justified to call for a rollback of tuition using the same premise that the government pretends to uphold – economic relief of Filipino families.
With its firm stand to keep its hands off from miscellaneous and laboratory fees, the Arroyo regime has further rendered its intention to mitigate the impact of “food price shock” and oil price hikes futile. A laboratory fee of P600 if scrapped, for instance, can mean additional 16 kilos of rice for a family, only if the regime would allot public funds where its mouth is.
The country’s premiere state university should be catering to the underprivileged during these difficult times. But when it sets up barriers in the form of tuition hikes and exorbitant fees, the youth have no recourse but to take the fight against the commercialization of education to the streets.
Scrap laboratory fees! Rollback the tuition! Junk the 300 percent hike tuition policy! Oppose the commercialization of education!
League of Filipino Students – College of Mass Communication (For comments and reactions, please text 0905.2347046)
By Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net First Posted 18:31:00 05/30/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- For Joey dela Cruz, a junior Philippine Arts student at the University of the Philippines-Manila, the role of the youth is not just to participate in protest actions but to educate and create awareness through the arts.
“Through casual conversations or through creative means, we can let other youth know of the pressing problems of the country. But rallies are also important because classroom discussions are not enough,” he said.
Dela Cruz is just one of the students who share the same beliefs in pushing for truth, justice, and accountability. He is one among the hundreds of youth delegates from different universities across the country who attended the National Youth Assembly at the University of the Philippines-Diliman on Friday, as the series of protest actions against the Arroyo administration resume.
Different student groups headed by Youth Act Now! Movement declared “vacation is over, let's strengthen our ranks for youth power.”
“Here are the youth, ready and willing to organize their ranks for protest actions,” spokesman Alvin Peters said.
League of Filipino Students (LFS) president Vencer Crisostomo said the issue was no longer just the national broadband network (NBN) deal scandal, but students would also protest the government's inability to address other issues including the rice crisis, education problems, and oil price hikes.
“Kung hindi magsasabi ng totoo ang gobyerno, mas magkakaroon pa ng maraming pagkilos ng kabataan [If the government does not tell the truth, the youth will hold many mass actions],” he said.
Crisostomo said there would be nationwide student walk-outs during the opening of classes on June 10, to kick off the series of protest actions as a build-up for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.
“Although there was an expected lull from youth during the summer, we are now ready as the start of classes nears,” Peters added.
Groups condemned the government for the: alleged attempted cover-up of evidence possibly implicating the First Family on issues of bribery and corruption; “gross and systematic plunder” by key government officials; the unresolved issues of corruption; and, the alleged misuse of government machinery for the “betrayal of public trust.”
Also present during the assembly were NBN deal whistleblowers Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr. and Jose de Venecia III, and Jesus is Lord Movement Founder Eddie Villanueva.
“The youth did not take a vacation” Lozada said. “Rather, we should tell the government, tapos na ang bakasyon nila dahil nandito na ule ang mga kabataan [vacation is over because the youth are here again].”
He added that the government left the youth with a “sovereign guarantee,” where “lahat ng inuutang ng gobyerno kayo ang magbabayad [everything the government owes you will pay for].”
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison Founding Chairperson Kabataang Makabayan 31 May 2008
Dear Fellow Activists,
Militant greetings of solidarity to the leadership at various levels, chapters and members of the League of Filipino Students!
The schools are about to open this June. Expectations are high among the students and the people that the LFS will take a leading role in arousing, organizing and mobilizing the students against the US-directed Arroyo regime in order to advance the people’s struggle for national freedom and democracy.
The students are indignant over the reactionary and profit-driven policies of certain school administrations and the anti-national and anti-democratic content of subjects and study materials. They are outraged by the rapid worsening of their study and living conditions. The tuition fees and other costs of study are ever rising even as school facilities are deteriorating. The real incomes of the parents of students are plunging as the prices of basic goods and services are rising.
The students are revolted by the curtailment of their democratic rights. They detest the shadow cast on them by state terrorism. They are being subjected to gross and systematic human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, brutal disruption of mass actions, repressive school regulations, suppression of student governments and publications and the intimidating presence of the armed personnel and spies of the state on campus.
The extreme exploitative and oppressive conditions that the Filipino students suffer are the outcome of the rabidly canine devotion of the Arroyo regime to the US-dictated policies of “neoliberal globalization” and “permanent global war on terror”. These have started to unravel. But the Arroyo regime continues to follow them and shifts to the broad masses of the people the mounting burden of the grave crisis of the domestic ruling system and the world capitalist system.
The League of Filipino Students is expected to reinvigorate the student movement and play a major role in the people’s movement to oust the Arroyo puppet regime, as in the overthrow of the Marcos fascist dictatorship in 1986 and the Estrada regime in 2001. The LFS and student masses are called upon to act in the great tradition of the First Quarter Storm of 1970 when the student youth linked up with the youth in other classes and sectors to conduct giant rallies and marches in the national capital region and other regions.
The LFS can arouse the student masses by taking up the burning issues against the semi-colonial and semi-feudal ruling system, against the current regime and against the reactionary policies and conditions in schools. It can always highlight the defense and promotion of the rights and interests of students in the handling of on-campus and off-campus issues. By doing so, it can engage the student masses in sectoral and multi-sectoral issues. It can use a wide range of methods in the work of agitation, propaganda and education.
The LFS can organize more chapters in universities, colleges and high schools. Wherever a chapter exists, this can be enlarged or more chapters can formed at the level of colleges in a university or departments in a college. The point is to recruit a certain percentage of the student population within a given period. Why not ten, then twenty and still further thirty per cent? Students can become LFS members by understanding and accepting the LFS Constitution and Program and participating in LFS activities. Upon the increase of the chapters, the LFS leading organs and organizations at the national, regional, district, provincial, city and municipal levels can become stronger.
The LFS can engage in various kinds of campaigns in order to demonstrate its significance and usefulness and thereby attract an increasing number of students to join its ranks and its activities. It can mobilize the existing LFS members during the school enrolment period to serve the students, especially the new ones. It can engage in information and recruitment campaigns. It can somehow participate in campus elections and in preparing editors and writers for the student publication. It can initiate meetings and mass actions to take up the burning issues on and off campus.
It can engage in alliances at every level with other student and youth organizations and with sympathetic teachers and school administrators in order to maximize the participation of students in mass mobilizations of any kind, be it for a protest rally, a nationwide or local boycott campaign or the entire campaign to oust the Arroyo regime. The mass mobilizations have the objective of mustering the biggest possible strength at a given time, demanding change for the better for the benefit of the students and the people, attracting more students to join LFS and rising to a new and higher level of strength in subsequent mass mobilizations.
I hope that this message can shed some light on what the LFS can do to strike deep roots among the students and strengthen itself and the student movement in order to advance student rights and interests and to maximize the role of the student masses in the people’s movement to oust the Arroyo regime and to carry forward the long-term struggle for national freedom and democracy against imperialism and local reaction.###
Hello, we were wondering if we could invite some of your animal-loving members to join our volunteer group.
MyZoo is involved in a wide range of activities to help to preserve our natural heritage and endemic species. We have a variety of programs patterned after zoos all over the world.
We are continuously looking for volunteers who are passionate about helping animals.
Interested parties can send an SMS to 0917-6250707 or email myzoo.ph@gmail.com. You can also visit http://www.myzoofoundation.org/, for more details.
Thanks! MyZoo Volunteer Group Foundation Inc. +63.917.625.0707/ myzoo.ph@gmail.com
Musicians4peace Cebu presents REVOLUSONGS July 2009 CON ASS R.I.P. July 24,Friday 2009 9-00pm-12:00am The Outpost Restobar 976-B Veterans' Drive, Lahug Cebu, Philippines Bands performing THE PERVS COWBOYS AND PRIESTS PEOPLE'S WAR PALTIK PASAKANIN Free Admission
Shirts & Prints wants to help you achieve a perfect college shirt for your society at a price that is guaranteed to fit your budget. We make sure that you can choose from a wide range of designs, prints and styles that will surely suit your college theme and mood.
We specialize in silkscreen, rubberised, embossed, glossy, metallic, computerized, digital shirt printing. To give you an idea, we can print your college shirt for only P89! (shirts already included). We will personally assist your needs because we carefully print your shirts using quality materials that will bring out the best in every shirt printed.
We are very interested in meeting up with you so we can discuss fully our proposal and give you discounts as well as a better deal. Please feel free to contact us at 0915 820 3180 or email us at shirtsandprints@yahoo.com.
Shirts & Prints wants to help you achieve a perfect college shirt for your society at a price that is guaranteed to fit your budget. We make sure that you can choose from a wide range of designs, prints and styles that will surely suit your college theme and mood.
We specialize in silkscreen, rubberised, embossed, glossy, metallic, computerized, digital shirt printing. To give you an idea, we can print your college shirt for only P89! (shirts already included). We will personally assist your needs because we carefully print your shirts using quality materials that will bring out the best in every shirt printed.
We are very interested in meeting up with you so we can discuss fully our proposal and give you discounts as well as a better deal. Please feel free to contact us at 0915 820 3180 or email us at shirtsandprints@yahoo.com.
The AKOMISMO movement is inviting your organization to join the launching concert on June 12, 2009 at the The Fort Taguig. Please contact Pearl Pinzon for the details. 09214243541 or email her at pearl@akomismo.org
"nahawan na ang magkasintahang puno ang mangga at ang narra na madalas tambayan ng mga kwentuhang may ngiti at pangamba pumanaw na ang inukit nating pangarap sa kanilang mga sanga napatid na ang kinabit nating duyan na siyang nagbibigkis sa kanilang akala natin ay walang hanggang pagsasama wala na din ang matatatag na punong pinagsisilungan ng mga alagang kalabaw. mga maya at pipit langay-langayan at maging minsan ni bantay at kahit ang aming alagang aso di na ako kilala banyaga na ako sa lugar ng aking tahanan at alaala"
i would like to ask several questions regarding LFS. this will be used for our paper on adolescents and activism for subject developmental psychology.
hope you would answer them and kindly send your answers on my email Littlebrat_5000@yahoo.com
thanks and god bless
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Pangalan: Edad: Kurso at Lugar kung saan nag-aaral:
1. Ano/Sino ang nag-udyok sa iyo upang makibahagi sa LFS? (Short Background/ how did it all start) 2. Sa LFS mayroong tinuturo na AOM o Arousal, Organize at Mobilization, epektibo ba ito? Sa paanong paraan? Gaano ito kahalaga sa Vision and Mission ng LFS? 3. Sa mga aktibidad tulad ng mga ito, paano sa tingin mo ikaw nakatutulong sa lipunan? Magbigay ng halimbawa at ipaliwanag. 4. Paano mo mabibigyang kahulugan ang nasyonalismo? Ideyalismo? Buhay pa ba ang mga ito sa lipunang Pilipino? 5. Bakit sa tingin mo na maraming mga kabataan/adolescents ang madalas nakikibahagi sa mga kilusan at aktibismo? 6. Gaano kahalaga ang pakikisangkot ng mga kabataan sa mga ganitong kilusan? Ipaliwanag.
7. Paano sa tingin mo makakadulot ang LFS ng pagbabago sa lipunan? Ipaliwanag.
walang bang taong nag aasikaso ng inyong site! almost all ng mga ND site ay hindi updated... ano ba naman un.... nagtatanong lang,,, hmmmmm..... sayang lang... anyway marahil ay mga busy kayo.... nagsisiksikan na yata sa kalunsuran.....
