Wazzup Pilipinas!
"As the country grapples with the effect of the pandemic, the education system drastically shifts to online classes. Students across the country called for mass promotion, tuition fee refund and more compassionate policies.
Students gathered the courage to speak up against unjust school policies, holding the Deped, CHEd and the Duterte admin accountable for a botched pandemic response resulting to millions of Filipino youth left behind."
I join the call to uphold the Paulinian students' right to due process.
IS THE STUDENT HANDBOOK MORE POWERFUL THAN THE CONSTITUTION?
The Saint Paul administration dwells on the Student Handbook to justify excluding students which it identified as organizers of the Mass Email Campaign (MEC).
The MEC participated by +500 students last June 19 appealed for the following: 1) academic freeze, 2) breakdown of fees, 3) refund of unused fees, 4) non-mandatory enrolment for summer term, and 5) support for teaching and non-teaching personnel.
The provisions in the Student Handbook which they allegedly violated revolved on "bringing disrepute to the name of the university".
Our freedom of expression and right to seek redress are guaranteed in the Philippine Constitution, the highest law of the land.
This is why the campaign for addressing the exclusion of 9 students in Saint Paul is not a trivial matter. It is a campaign for upholding our democratic rights.
Students will be made to cower in fear and will never break their silence on problems in the school if we'd let things pass.
This is not just for Saint Paul students. It is for every student, every citizen who trembles in fear for exercising his/her democratic right.
Students are losing the will to study knowing their friends were excluded because of the campaign. During online class, they're having a hard time facing their computers knowing that some of their classmayes were deprived to continue their studies in SPU.
We don't know why they only exclude selected students where in fact there were hundreds of students who participated on the said campaign.
Are they afraid they might lose some money if they’ll end up removing all those who participated in the campaign?
It's not a crime to ask for transparency! The students did NOT tarnish your institutions' image, you are doing it yourselves. Uphold the Paulinian students' right to due process.
"There maybe times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." TO OUR PAULINIAN FRIENDS, YOU'RE THE BRAVEST. WE ARE WITH YOU.
The school should focus for the outcome not the income.
The call for dialogue between the affected students, their parents and the SPUP administration is reasonable and sound within the framework of a democratic society. Unless Tuguegarao, Cagayan is otherwise.
We appeal to academic institutions to ensure that each and every student is granted access to quality education amidst the pandemic. Hence, no constituent must be excluded from the formulation of policies.
I know this is just ONE story of the families of the NINE excluded students of SPUP, but I want everyone to know!
and if you had the opportunity to speak up, SHOUT ALL U WANT HUN.
During these times wherein the fascist system victimizes people who seek for changes, we stand in solidarity with the Paulinian students’ call.
This is not just for Saint Paul students. It is for every student, and every citizen who trembles in fear for exercising his/her democratic right.
Together we'll be louder, stronger.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
