The ‘Star’ that Hasn’t Gone Out: Kristel Tejada as Told by Krizia Tejada
By Marianne Zen Therese De Jesus and Rochel M. Floron IV
“Totoo nga sabi nila, ‘di lang sa pisikal na buhay o pamamaraan pwedeng iparamdam ‘yung pagmamahal, kasi kahit sa puso at isip ka na lang namin buhay, lagi mo pa rin pinaparamdam sa’kin na mahal mo ako at ‘di mo ko hahayaang mag-isa,” Krizia Tejada said in her Facebook post.
*TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide*
On March 15, 2013, the news of a 16-year-old freshman Behavioral Sciences student who ended her own life broke out along the corridors of UP Manila’s Rizal Hall.
That student once entered the university full of hopes to lift her family out of poverty and a dream to help people by becoming a doctor — a dream that was killed by the institution and the system that pushed her to the brink. She became a victim of a commercialized education that placed an exorbitant price on her future. Even though she was under the then Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP), her family could not afford to pay her school fees.
She is Kristel Tejada. Her name has been immortalized ever since.
It has been 10 years since the unfortunate incident happened but for her loved ones, especially for her younger sister, the pain it caused has always been there.
To whom Ate Star left
“Ate Star” — this is what her family used to call Kristel.
Krizia Tejada, the younger sister of Kristel, just graduated cum laude from college last year. She was only a 12-year-old first-year high school student when her Ate Star left. In her Facebook post, Krizia remembered and paid tribute to her sister who gave her the motivation to finish her studies.
“Sobrang laki ng impact ni Kristel sa buhay ko lalo na noong nawala siya. Naging inspiration at motivation ko siya sa lahat,” Krizia said in an interview with The Manila Collegian.
She lamented that while her sister gave her the encouragement she needed to finish her studies, she cannot help but wonder what life could have been like if her sister were alive today. Kristel was a hopeful student who dreamed of becoming a doctor to help underserved communities.
Krizia added, “Hanggang ngayon, naiisip ko, what if kung buhay siya? Ano na rin kaya ‘yung estado ng life niya? Siguro tuwang tuwa na silang mga magkaka-batch kasi ‘yung iba doktor na, ‘yung iba professional na rin.”
Prior to the passing of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA) in 2017, the matriculation fees in UP were assessed under STFAP. The administration assigned Kristel under Bracket D which required the student to pay P300-per-unit tuition, but her parents could hardly afford to pay her tuition.
She appealed to be included in Bracket E1, which subsidizes 100% of students’ tuition along with miscellaneous and laboratory fees, but her appeal was denied by then Chancellor Manuel Agulto and Vice Chancellor Marie Josephine de Luna which forced her to file a leave of absence (LOA) because of the “no late payment policy.”
“I found it unfair kasi sinabi naman ni [Ate] sa admin na walang pambayad pero clinassify pa rin siya sa letter D,” Kristel’s sister lamented.
The unfortunate death of Kristel became a pivotal point to scrutinize the education system in the Philippines. The academic year following the death of Kristel, the UP system replaced the archaic STFAP with the Socialized Tuition System (STS), which aimed to make reforms in tuition bracket applications. Ultimately, the death of Kristel has led Filipinos to rally the call for free education.
Krizia welcomed these developments, citing that these would help a lot of students who cannot afford to pay high matriculation fees. However, she also bemoaned why the passage only occurred in 2017 when it could have been enacted earlier.
“Maraming hikahos sa buhay, pero bakit yung simpleng edukasyon ipinagkait? Sino rin ba ang makikinabang kung hindi ang Pilipinas?” she remarked.
Education crisis persists
The UAQTEA was passed and enacted in 2017 to cover the tuition fees in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs), and technical vocational institutions. This has been viewed by progressives as a leap toward an inclusive education system, but genuine free education is still far from the horizon.
The problems of inaccessibility and repression in education persist today because the law’s coverage is limited to tuition fees while students still have to deal with miscellaneous fees. This scenario was even exacerbated during the height of the pandemic as prices of commodities have also increased. Some students were left with no choice but to look for jobs to fend for themselves.
One of them is Krizia who had to juggle academics and her work. As now the eldest daughter, Krizia shares the responsibility of alleviating the financial burden of their family. She mentioned that she was once a crew member in a fast food restaurant in Manila in order to earn.
“Ang hirap ng mga unang buwan ko sa trabaho [kasi] apat na oras lang ‘yung tulog. Ang simula ng klase ay seven ng umaga hanggang alas kwatro ng hapon, tapos ang work ay five hanggang midnight.”
The pandemic took a hit on her former job when the government only allowed limited capacity in food and services as a preventive measure to curb the transmission of the virus. Krizia had to look for another job to pay other school fees and uniforms because, under the remote setup, the school did not provide the materials needed for her course.
“Nagkaroon ng pagbabago sa setup kasi nagtaas presyo ng mga bilihin, so gumawa ako ng paraan. Nag-decide ako na mag-work sa BPO para meron pa rin akong panggastos kasi mahal ‘yung mga gamit na ginagamit namin sa klase.”
Guided by ‘Star’
Despite the inaccessible and inequitable education system which has caused her to sometimes think of giving up, there is her Ate Star guiding her through time and reminding her to continue fighting for her dreams.
“Totoo nga sabi nila, ‘di lang sa pisikal na buhay o pamamaraan pwedeng iparamdam ‘yung pagmamahal, kasi kahit sa puso at isip ka na lang namin buhay, lagi mo pa rin pinaparamdam sa’kin na mahal mo ako at ‘di mo ko hahayaang mag-isa,” Krizia Tejada said in her Facebook post.
This experience of Krizia is just one of the millions of students who still have to work their fingers to the bone just to make up for the failure of the government to actualize its obligation to implement genuine free education for all.
“Ang daming movements for free education pagkatapos noong nangyari kay Ate, pero unnecessary na bakit muna kailangan magkaroon ng Kristel Tejada bago ito naipasa?”
Unfortunately, Kristel Tejada’s story is not an isolated case; the system that took her life has also repressed students and will continue to do so if the government will not take action to provide free quality education for all.
