Philippine 01

06.17.09

Collegian

Balita
Balita Lathalain Kultura
Minadaling pagpasa sa Con Ass, Carper Criminal enactment Kahit na anong mangyari
inulan ng protesta 04 05 08
M ajor glitches, long lines

nStudents endure the long lines to enlist on Stat subjects they failed to get during the online preenlistment at the School
of Statistics on June 5. A week ago, the CRS, UP Diliman's online preenlistment system, suffered from major glitches which
resulted to inconsistencies between online records and printed forms, along with other errors which resulted to delays in
enrollment procedures and inconvenience to students. Chris Imperial
Co nt. o n p a g 10
 03 Balita
BOR approves tuition
increase for grad students
Pauline Gidget R. Estella
N
ew graduate programs in
the UP system will impose
tuition rates higher than
the average while two existing
graduate programs in UP Diliman
(UPD) will increase tuition after
the Board of Regents (BOR) ap-
proved all proposals for tuition in-
crease during its May 29 meeting.
Incoming students under grad-
uate programs offered by the Na-
tional College of Public Adminis-
tration and Governance (NCPAG)
will be charged with P2,000 per
unit, a 300 percent increase from
the former rate of P500.
Meanwhile, Tuition for the
Master of Management program of
the Technology Management Cen-
ter (TMC) doubled from the old
rate of P1,000 per unit. Students
enrolling under the new Doctor in
Social Development (DSD) pro-
gram of the College of Social Work
and Community Development
will also have to pay tuition from
P1,000 to P2,000 per unit, de-
pending on their monthly income.
In UP Visayas Cebu College
(UPVCC), the BOR approved the
proposed tuition of P1,850 per
unit for the new program Master of
Business Administration (MBA),
which will replace its current
Master of Management program
charging P600 per unit. UPVCC
also pegged the tuition for the
new program Master of Science
in Computer Science (MS CS) at
P1,200 per unit.
The average tuition rate for
graduate programs in UPD for the
first semester is P985 per unit,
based on the schedule of fees from
the Office of the University Reg-
istrar. In UPVCC, tuition in other
graduate programs range from
P500 to P2,000 per unit.
The BOR approved the in-
creases because upgrading edu-
cational and research facilities is
enough justification for the tuition
hike, said UP President Emerlin-
da Roman.
The increases also underwent
consultation with the students,
Roman added.
Despite its earlier decision
on February 27 to defer fee in-
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 17 Hun 2009
creases due to the financial cri- tions offering MBA programs,” the to improve educational facilities DSD.
sis, the BOR affirmed last March proposal said. and equipment, “avert the exodus Peters said the process of
26 hikes in laboratory fees in the USC Vice Chair Jacqueline of faculty members,” and increase consultation of the UP adminis-
colleges of Mass Communication Eroles said the P1,000 average scholarship funds. tration through surveys “does not
and Engineering. The board also per unit tuition rate for gradu- give another option for the stu-
authorized 170 to 400 percent tu- ate programs in a state university "D ubious consultation " dents other than to allow tuition
ition increases, effective this se- such as UP is already comparable In NCPAG, only 18 percent increase, [forming] an idea that
mester, in graduate programs in to that of private schools. of the 50 graduate students who students must pay to enjoy good
the School of Statistics, College of The approved tuition for MBA participated in a March 17 survey facilities.”
Home Economics, School of Man- is higher than the tuition rate in approved of an increase between The 300-percent tuition and
agement in Mindanao and UPD other private universities in Cebu P1,500 to P2,000 per unit, while other fees increase (TFI) first
extension programs in Pampanga such as University of San Carlos more than 60 percent said an in- implemented in 2007 should have
and Olongapo. with P888 per unit and University crease from P500 to P1,500 is ap- covered the expenses for the im-
of San Jose Recoletos with P763 propriate. NCPAG has a total of provement of facilities, Eroles
"L imited access " per unit, according to the minutes 213 graduate students said. She said the new increases
The graduate programs in the of the May 29 BOR meeting. TMC Executive Director Edi- are not needed because the same
university are “important in pro- The proposals from NCPAG son Cruz said its 67 students justifications were cited not only
viding students with adequate and TMC state that the funds from agreed to the increase. There were for the TFI but also for recent
professional training but the the tuition increase will be used no students yet to consult under hikes in laboratory fees. q
bloated tuition narrows [their] ac- the programs MS CS, MBA and
cessibility [to students],” said Al-
vin Peters, chair of the National False independence
Union of Students of the Philip-
pines. The need for better facili-
ties could never justify tuition
increase because the government
should subsidize public educa-
tion, he added.
Peters said the decision of the
BOR to approve proposals for tu-
ition increases despite its promise
in its February meeting to defer
increases is not surprising, be-
cause it clearly upholds the UP
Plan of 2008, which maintains
that the university must be at par
with private schools in terms of
collection of fees, Peters said.
Dr. Nilan Yu, director of the
DSD program, said they consid-
ered the current rates of similar
programs in other units in for-
mulating the new tuition scheme,
adding that the tuition per unit for
other graduate programs in UP is
P2,500.
The tuition is still subsidized
as the amount students will pay
for the program still cannot cover
the salary of its teaching and utili-
ties expenses, said Yu.
According to the proposal n Protesters from different sectors burn Gloria Arroyo's effigy to register their rage over her complicity on US intervention
on Philippine affairs, particularly through the Visiting Forces Agreement in front of the US Embassy on June 12. The group
of UPVCC for the tuition rate of saw the agreement as unfair because of its clear one-sided policies which also tramples on Philippine sovereignty and
the MS CS program, charging tu- unconstitutional because of the US government's refusal to acknowledge it is as a treaty. Chris Imperial
ition less than P1,200 is “tanta-
mount to killing the program,” as
the program is projected to incur
negative net earnings even with
this rate. On the other hand, tu-
ition rate for MBA was proposed
to maintain a “sensible compara-
tive reference with other institu-
The real majority

nMembers from various organizations hold a multi-sectoral mobilization condemning Arroyo's moves to
amend the constitution and the Congress' railroading of bills such as House Bill 1109 along Ayala Avenue in
Makati on June 10. As they called for Arroyo's immediate ouster, they also called for a withdrawal of support
to the Congressmen who voted in favor of the Constituent Assembly, which can lead to Arroyo's stay in power
beyond 2010. Chris Imperial

C on t. on p a g 10 Co nt. o n p a g 10
 Students, therefore, have reasonable
grounds to view the 2009 CSC with dismay
and suspicion
8:25am . Comment . Like . Take this Quiz . Compare yourself to Maggie

Chris S. Agrava at 11am June 16 x

We do not despair.

Maggie C. Newman dislikes this. x

Maggie C. Newman and 400 others like this. x

Gene Napomelo yesterday at 7:10 pm x

Tagay na! Sarap ring makipag-away sa mga prof dyan, haha.
Diskurso till dawn! Red horse pa!
Three days ago . Comment . Like . Take this Quiz . Compare yourself to Maggie

Bobbie Toh Three days ago x

Bkt gnun lumabas sakin, Sunken Garden dw? Tapos sabi
lulubog ang grades q kada sem? Is this tru? Di kaya! I am
more smarter pa nga than all of your combination e!

Beth Ternese Five days ago x

HAAA?? Yan ba si CACES? AZ IN? Tingnan natin natin kung
maging friend mo pa siya after her Bridge class
A
kala ko tatamaan na ako ng swine flu.
Nakapasok ang swine flu virus
sa Pilipinas noong huling bahagi ng
Mayo. Noong mga panahong iyon, nagpunta
ako sa Zambales para sa isang consolidation
activity at workshop ng Kule. Nagbeach,
nag-ilog at nagcold spring kahit na maulan.
Sa huling araw ng consolidation activity,
unang araw ng Hunyo, dinalaw namin ang
Hacienda Luisita sa Tarlac at humingi ng
diskusyon sa kasalukuyang kalagayan ng
mga magbubukid doon. Gabi na rin nang
Tiyak sa mga susunod na buwan, gumaling man ang
mga tinamaan ng swine flu, tuloy pa rin ang sakit ng
lipunan
makauwi kami at pagod na ang karamihan.
Noon ko naramdaman na tila nag-uumpisa
na akong lagnatin.
Kinabukasan, nang pumunta ako sa UP
para sa mga kelangan asikasuhin, natuluy-
an ang lagnat ko. Kinakabahan na nga ako’t
baka isa na ako sa mga susunod na kaso
ng A(H1N1) sa Pilipinas. Sana nga ako ang
frontpage ng Kule kung sakali.
Habang praning na praning at tina-
tantya kung susulpot ang mga susunod na
sintomas—ubo at sore throat—nakatang-
gap kami ng mga kasamahang manunulat
ng iisang text message. Iraratsada na raw
sa Kongreso ang Constitutional Assembly
(Con-Ass). Agad kaming nagtext ng mga
kakilala sa Kongreso at kahit na maulan ay
I
’ve been cooped up in my bedroom, feeling
my head every now and then. Each time I do,
I get a sting. I am almost as hot as a whis-
tling kettle. The thunderous cough from my tiny
chest (emphasis mine), only adds to the package:
I could be the winning candidate for UP’s first
swine flu patient.
As it is, I’m good enough to skip classes.
If my condition worsens, I’d be UP’s hero
and maybe halt the start of classes. I would
have been terribly festive had this hap-
pened over a semester ago. But, as things
are, I’m a little pissed off. Nothing like a flu
to ruin my perfectly busy schedule.
And really, it is such a bad omen for a
year that has been predicted to be stormy.
The low pressure areas and the surprise ty-
phoons have got me thinking if somebody’s
playing with the rainfall switch. Whoever
that person might be, I wish that he would
stop toying with the weather. Diliman is cer-
tainly out of any weather bureau’s league,
long before the skies started sending the
rains.
The weather, though, is the least of the
things to be dreaded about UP. The great
fear of the unknown, however, doesn’t stop
thousands of students from trying to get into
this place.
To the outside world, UPD students are
high and mighty, with badges of wisdom on
pumunta roon para magcover.
Hindi kami pinapasok ng mga gwardi-
ya. Anila, naghigpit umano ng seguridad
at hindi nagpapapasok ng mga estudyante
o student press. Kung anu-ano ang gina-
wa namin para makapasok—nagpasundo
sa mga kakilala, nagtangkang sumabay sa
kotse, nagmakaawa at nagtaray. Wala na
kaming nagawa kundi hintayin ang masa-
mang balita habang bahagyang basa sa loob
ng McDonalds sa Ever. Saka kami umuwing
nagngingitngit at umaasa sa tiyak na pagpo-
protesta kinabukasan. Sabi ko tiyak na di
ko na kakayanin bukas.
Nilalagnat pa rin ako nang pumunta ako
kinabukasan sa Kongreso. Naroon ang mga
nagpoprotesta laban sa Con-Ass. Karami-
han sa mga ito ay mga magsasaka na na-
roon din para tumutol sa noon ay nakaam-
bang maipasang CARP Extension. Bumuhos
ang malakas na ulan at di ko na nagawang
sumilong. Basang-basa ang lahat pero tuloy
pa rin ang programa. Sa tindi ng sakit ng
ulo, bumalik na ako sa opisina upang mag-
pahinga. Sa isip-isip ko’y malabong hindi
ipasa ang CARP sa gabing iyon, lalo na
kung makakatulong ito sa administrasyon
na makakuha pa ng suporta sa Cha-Cha sa
loob ng Kongreso. Sabi ko’y hindi na muna
their chests. Such impressions, though, are
lost the moment one sets foot in the univer-
sity. As such, the most pitiable students are
the freshmen, who had just had reality rain
on them.
When I was in my first year, I was so
engrossed in pitying myself that I walked
the AS (to some freshies, Palma Hall) cor-
ridors with my head bowed down to every
being. I even skipped lunch when the warm
and sickly fumes at CASAA screamed full.
For starters, I advise all freshmen to take everything
with a grain of salt
Even worse, I detested my freshie status so
much I shut up during class discussions. My
unbearable shame allowed me to digest all
the nonsense the upperclassmen, and some
teachers occasionally, were spewing out.
Funnily enough, my sympathy ran out
the moment I became a sophomore. In a
snap, I was one of them who spewed non-
sense.
The truth is, my downfall is everybody’s
tragedy. No one would admit it, not even
the jerk of a brother who dismisses his sis-
ter’s text - “Kuya, san p ung nigs? :)”. The
blessed few, who find exceptions, mark my
ako pupunta kung may indignation rally
ang mga magsasaka bukas. Pakiramdam ko
kasi’y tinatrangkaso na ako.
Ngunit hindi pa pala. Pagkatapos kong
magpatuyo ng pantalon, dumiretso na ako
para mag-enroll at saka sumunod sa Quezon
Avenue para kunan ang martsa ng mga mag-
sasaka. Walang pakialam ang mga magsasa-
ka sa buhos ng ulan. Sabi nga nila, ano lang
ba naman ang ulan kumpara sa kawalan ng
lupa at dahas na muli nilang kakaharapin
sa CARP Extension. Kala ko tumigil na ang
ulan nang tuluyan ngunit pagdating palapit
sa Mendiola ay muli itong bumuhos at tu-
luyang nabasa ang mga rallyista na sina-
bayan ng water cannon mula sa hanay ng
mga pulis. Di na ako nakailag at hinayaan
na lang tuluyang mabasa at magkasakit. Ki-
nagabihan, di inaasahang tuluyang naging
mabuti ang pakiramdam ko.
Nadelay ang pasukan ng isang linggo sa
kolehiyo dahil sa virus scare at pagsulpot
ng mga confirmed cases sa mga pamantasan.
Pero hindi na ata ako tatablan ng A(H1N1)
virus. Pagkatapos ng higit tatlong araw na
pakikipagbuno sa ulan at sa mabilis na
pihit ng mga kaganapan, higit na matatakot
pa ako sa lumalalang krisis pang-ekonomi-
ya at pampulitika sa bansa. Tiyak sa mga
susunod na buwan, gumaling man ang mga
tinamaan ng swine flu, tuloy pa rin ang sakit
ng lipunan. Parehong nakamamatay. Pareho
rin namang nagagamot. Gagamutin ng me-
disina ang virus, kung sa lipunan nama’y
pagkilos pa rin ang sagot. q
*Para sa mga nakasama ko sa ulan
words: Not for long. And not without strings
attached.
As much as I hope it’s all swine talk
that I have come up with, it is better to be
guarded. There is no assurance that the
university, or its beloved bastards, will not
prey on the innocent. So, for starters, I ad-
vise all freshmen to take everything with a
grain of salt. If possible, refrain from ask-
ing the elders too much. Exhaust all means
in answering questions.
This is not to say that everything in the
university is a hoax. Most of it is, probably,
like the fact that people still call UP a state
university. We are barely state-funded, if
anybody bothers to ask. Again, the option
to disbelieve me still holds. I wish, though,
that any disbelief springs forth a curiosity
which will lead to somewhere that our paths
could cross.
By then, I hope that I am well enough to
engage your views in a debate. Until such
time, I would nurse my flu, and pray that
this year’s freshmen will have a different
year than my first one in UP. q
We welcome questions,
constructive criticism,
opinions, stands on rel-
evant issues, and other
reactions. Letters may
be edited for brevity or
clarity. Due to space
constraints, letters must
have only 400 words or
less. Send the letters to
kule0910@gmail.com.
Dahil kabilang at umiinog ang Collegian sa ganitong uri ng
lipunan, isang ilusyon para sa pahagayan na ito ang hindi
makisangkot at pumanig. Bagkus, tinitimbang ng Philippine
Collegian ang pagwawalang-kibo sa umiiral na labanan
bilang isang malaking kasalan.