GASC 56 Rundown
Student councils call for ICC probe, Tacloban 5 immediate release
by Joanna Pauline Honasan
Along with other resolutions geared towards addressing the issues the university and the nation face, student councils all over the University of the Philippines (UP) System adopted resolutions calling for the unconditional release of Tacloban 5 and the Marcos Jr.’s administration to grant and support the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation on former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs during the 56th Convention of the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) last Feb. 8 to 10 at UP Visayas Miag-ao.
During the three-day assembly, the body adopted a total of 20 resolutions revolving around campus-wide and nationwide concerns, which will guide the student councils in formulating their campaigns for this semester.
Reports from each constituent and regional unit shed light on the achievements and challenges of the studentry, specifically on inadequate student spaces, lack of funding for basic student services and research, threats to academic freedom, and commercialization.
UPM Situationer
In UP Manila (UPM), insufficient spaces, lack of student participation, RSA, state surveillance, and a series of budget cuts remained to be the most contentious problems.
In their report, the UPM University Student Council (USC) cited position vacancies that increase the workload of college representatives who fill in these roles. This has been going on for over five years already due to the dwindling political participation of UPM students.
UPM USC Chairperson JV Cabrera also lamented the P450-M budget cut currently experienced by PGH. This is in light of the contractualization of healthcare workers and insufficiencies in facilities and reagents for laboratory exams in PGH, adding to the burden of the patients.
Among the challenges underscored by UPM USC is the lack of physical spaces in the cramped campus, leaving student organizations to rent despite financial limitations.
Lastly, the UPM community also reported the intimidation by state forces, as UPM USC Vice Chairperson Brandon Deichmann cited instances of police and military presence inside the campus, as well as incidents of state intimidation on students.
The council also took part in the formation of a Committee on the Protection and Promotion of Academic Freedom and Human Rights, which aims to review current university red-tagging protocols and provide legal assistance in such cases.
Resolutions on national, student concerns
Among the national issues included in the resolutions are those urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte and demanding the release of Tacloban 5 who have been imprisoned for trumped-up charges since 2020.
Campaigns on the devastating oil spill in Mindoro and the continuing attacks on environmental defenders were also included.
However, the most exhaustive discussion was on the two closely related transportation resolutions against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) and the improvement of all transportation systems in the Philippines.
Most of the resolutions also revolved around promoting student welfare, such as the lack of quality spaces on various UP campuses and the call for a higher budget for education and health, specifically with the current Student Learning Assistance System.
The resolutions also pushed for liveable wages, working conditions for student assistants, and greater financial support for athletes and social science students.
Notably, one of the most heated debates occurred during the deliberations regarding an ID system for students with disabilities in UP. One point of contention among councils was the feasibility of the proposed ID system and the appropriate terminology to be used in the resolution.
After exhaustive discussions, they agreed to localize the tagging system and to campaign for improved services for PWDs in UP.
To push for a more accessible education, the councils also opposed the removal of senior high schools in state and local universities and the pervasive commercialization in UP. To strengthen the campaign on academic freedom, the assembly also forwarded resolutions that aim to institutionalize paralegal training in UP and expand student consultations.
Moreover, they demanded to junk Batas Pambansa 880, or the Public Assembly Act of 1985, a law passed during the Marcos Sr. dictatorship that is often weaponized by the police, limiting people’s right to peacefully mobilize.
