Thursday, 05 June 2008
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Students stage mock 'NFA Pila' to protest high rice prices and school fees
Press Release
June 5, 2008
Students stage mock 'NFA Pila' to protest high rice prices and school fees
“Dili lang diay bugas ang ginapilahan, kay ginakilo naman pud diay ang mga pangandoy ug kaugmaon.”
DAVAO CITY–Students here staged today a mock line-up (“pila”) similar to that seen on National Food Authority (NFA) retailer stores as a protest against the soaring prices of basic commodities such as rice and oil and continued increases tuition and other fees.
Converging at a university gate in this city, the student protesters formed the mock “pila” after a made-up window labeled as “FINANCE” instead of NFA. But, as in a regular NFA retailer store, the protesters displayed a weighing scale at the window. The protesters said the set-up would like to portray the irony of the pile of consumers in the NFA retailer stores and the line up of students in Finance offices inside schools.
“Like hungry consumers queueing for supply of rice in NFA outlets, students hungry for knowledge are also lining up for quality education, only to find out that what they paid is not really what they get in return. The government has failed to provide the youth and students free or affordable education. Tuition and Other Fees Increase (TOFI) are rampant in private schools and among state colleges and universities (SCUs) as well,” said Nisa Opalla, spokesperson of i.defy.
Opalla added the government has already failed in providing its citizen affordable food to eat and a wage enought for a decent living. Protesters expressed the angst of the Filipino youth against the futile attemps of the Arroyo administration to provide accessible and quality education and basic commodities.
“Parents as well as students are suffering the chronic economic illnesses manifested by the crisis in rice that will reach almost 60 pesos per kilo this July. Also, oil increases have been difficult for the youth because it will again add up to the expenses of a ordinary student,” said Karlos Manlupig of Anakbayan Davao City.
“TOFI will be a heavy burden to our parents as they struggle through crisis in the economy specifically in the rocketing prices of rice in Mindanao and the worsening figures in oil increase,” Opalla said.
The protest is led by i.defy, an alliance of youth and students initiated by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) to expose and oppose attacks against the basic rights and welfare of youth and students and the Filipino people.
The alliance said that the ongoing rice crisis and economic issues is making the situation of the youth and students more difficult as they face the opening of classes with tuition and other fees increase in both private and state colleges and universities.
The alliance said that almost all private schools here in Davao have increased their tuition and other fees, as approved by the Commission on Higher Education last February. Ateneo de Davao University, which has increased 6% of its tuition, University of Mindanao by 10% and Brokenshire College to almost 20% to both tuition and miscellaneous fees are just some of the private college schools that has increased for this school year. State colleges and universities, however, have increased higher. TOFI in the University of the Philippines in Mindanao have increased 300% while the University of Southeastern Philippines with 33.3%.
“There will be more student actions and protests as long as the crisis continues to haunt the youth, students and the Filipino people,” said Manlupig.###
For Reference:
Leigh Dalugdog
Media Officer, i.defy: youth and students alliance
Vice President for Mindanao, College Editors Guild of the Philippines
+639109136556
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