Kapekonomiya 2.0

                  During my first visit to the University of the Philippines – Diliman Campus, it is an understatement to say that I was shocked. What surprised me was not the architecture of the buildings, nor the abundance of trees and joggers, but rather the number of idle lands on the campus. The sheer land area of the campus is something to take pride in but its inactivity and apparently decorative purpose is an embarrassment. However, as time passed by, the number of idle lands inside the campus shrank. Thanks to the continuous neglect of the government to subsidize tertiary education, the university has been forced to lease its lands to private corporations, like the Ayalas, in order to be self-sufficient.

                  Kapekonomiya 2.0 presented the legality of the UP Technohub and Uptown Center (I know it’s spelled wrong; but even in my paper, I can’t accept that that establishment carries the name of UP). Based on its charter, UP is allowed to lease its land provided it goes through due process via a public bidding and meets the provisions of the UP Charter. Prof. Ruperto Alonzo pointed how projects like the Technohub benefits UP in terms generating funds and providing research facilities – though; the presence of such establishments and whether the students benefit from them are still questionable.

                  On the other hand, Prof. Judy Taguiwalo described how UP is losing its public character. From a university, financed by the people, it is slowly transforming into an income-generating scheme. She quoted, President Aquino’s 2010 Budget Message wherein he mentioned that the government is gradually lowering the subsidy they give to State U in order to make them self-sufficient and prepared for the future. Undoubtedly, education is turning into a commodity for sale. At the end of her talk, she called everyone to join the actions against state abandonment.

                  UP is the national university. As the national university, it should focus mainly on its academic roles (for the students and for the public) for the benefit of Philippine society. But, UP nowadays has a new sideline – to become financially independent from the government. It makes me question the status of the university and its students.

Last year, an Iska killed herself because she couldn’t cope with the high tuition fee. Imagine if UP did not have any IGP, the deficit of the government’s neglect would have to be further shouldered by the students – defeating the purpose of affordable (if not free) and high-quality education.

                  The government always says that it has insufficient money to fund tertiary education. But last year, several whistleblowers exposed that Php 10 billion worth of public funds went to the pockets of our legislators. If the Php 10 billion had been properly , more students could have learned well if it was invested to education.

                  I understand that UP is using the Technohub and Uptown Center to generate funds, but how much? Recently, I learned that such records are not available to the students. I’m not even sure if it’s available to faculty members, which makes me doubtful whether UP’s contract with the Ayalas is really beneficial for the university. Or by entering into such contracts put the university into a bigger trouble, that is, by letting the government think that we can be financially stable on our own.

                  3 months from now, I’ll be leaving the university. It might be impossible for me to determine whether Technohub and Uptown Center will be beneficial to the university and its constituents. But I hope the decline of state subsidy can be remedied without tarnishing the university’s public character. To the Ayalas, “wala kaming utang na loob sa inyo. Nararamdaman kong darating ang araw na ang lupa ng UP ay para sa UP at hindi sa mga makakapitalistang mithiin ninyo.”