NEWS | Academic break, strike, launched vs gov’t’s inept calamity response
By Rochel M. Floron IV
Progressive youth groups staged several protests calling out the government’s incompetence and inadequate response to the needs of the Filipinos who were devastated by the recent onslaught of the typhoons Rolly and Ulysses, on top of the unresolved COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from immediate relief operations from the government, some of the universities rallied for an academic break, while most of them pushed for an academic strike until President Rodrigo Duterte steps down.
Temporary relief
As many Filipinos are now grappling with their situation due to consecutive calamities, students from various universities start to clamor for academic ease, which is to practice academic leniency by lifting deadlines of, or even removing, academic requirements.
While many academic institutions heeded their students’ call and implemented at least a week suspension for both synchronous and asynchronous classes, there were schools that still refused to respond. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), in its various branches and satellite campuses, was one of the first academic institutions to mandate an academic break which will last from November 16 to 27.
Meanwhile, the University of Makati and the Technological University of the Philippines are some of the universities that opted not to implement an academic break. In light of the situation, students showed an uncompromising stance and voiced out online that no students should be left behind and reiterated their demand that their respective universities implement an academic break.
End the Suffering
The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) also rallied for academic ease, which was immediately acted upon by their university administration. They were enjoined by the University of the Philippines (UP), among other schools, in their call to challenge the government to either swiftly address current issues and problems of the state or for President Duterte to resign from his office.
Furthermore, both UP and ADMU have taken a more radical action as they rallied for an academic strike until Duterte steps down. This act, according to progressive organizations, will only save the Philippines from further damage due to government ineptitude.
“Duterte’s non-significance in the nation’s efforts to survive consecutive calamities only proves that he should step down from his position and save us from further damage brought by his negligence and indifference,” stated by the Youth Movement Against Tyranny — UP Manila.
Meanwhile, as initiated by ADMU, the Katipunan-based university reiterated that the government is “criminally neglectful” with how it has responded to the recent calamities.
“We cannot prioritize our schoolwork when our countrymen are suffering unnecessarily at the hands of those in power,” ADMU said in their manifesto.
Last Nov. 16, a protest was held at the Quezon Hall in UP Diliman to call for Duterte’s resignation and to garner support from its stakeholders to end the semester. In just a week, the petition was signed by nearly 5,000 individuals, while 274 UP faculty members also forwarded a petition of the same kind. Despite a clear stance from the students and faculty members, the UP Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) still has no decision as to how the remaining weeks of the semester will proceed.
To amplify calls for academic suspension and the ouster of President Duterte, various youth groups staged a protest last November 17 in front of ADMU.
“Hindi tayo pasisiil, at ipaglalaban natin ang ating mga karapatan. Pagkat ang administrasyon na ito ang mismong nagtulak sa mga mamamayan na lumaban,” exclaimed Ecka from Jose Rizal University.
Additionally, Chrysler, from Anakbayan Las Piñas, argued, “hinog na ang ating pamayanan, ang mga pamantasan. Ilang buwan at bagyo na ang nagdaan. Ilang kapabayaan pa ba ang ating palalampasin?”
Empty threats?
Instead of heeding the call, several government officials merely mocked the call of various student bodies and reduced the movement as an ‘empty’ threat.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the students will only fail on their academics if they will opt to avoid doing academic requirement until Duterte steps down. He claimed, “bilang isang dating propesor, kahit anong dahilan ang sinasabi niyong strike, ‘pag di kayo sumunod sa mga academic requirements, mawawalan kayo ng kinabukasan, ‘di kayo makaka-graduate sa Ateneo.”
Meanwhile, President Duterte fumed that they could only do so much and then resorted to red tag UP by falsely claiming that the institution has been recruiting communists. This was strongly denied by UP. Subsequently, Duterte also threatened to take away the university’s funding.
Furthermore, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) rejected both calls for a nationwide or Luzon-wide academic break and instead placed discretion for particular universities to decide on their own as they know their situation better.
“A unilateral suspension is not a good policy. We cannot make unilateral decisions that are not based on what is actually happening on the ground,” CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III said.
Uncompromising force
Despite a passive-aggressive response from the government, organizations, students, and faculty members that clamor for academic strike never showed any sign of backing down as they staged another protest in ADMU last November 21.
In a statement, the authors of the ADMU manifesto for academic strike answered the replies of the government that dismisses the movement.
“Stop talking nonsense. Our worry is justified because you have neglected to do the work demanded from a person in office. Ano ang silbi ninyo? Wala. We will continue with the strike as long as you keep killing Filipinos with your incompetence.”
