Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas - Diliman Tomo 90, Blg. 28 Marso 13, 2013
NO SURRENDER. Princess Jacel Kiram, the daughter of the sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III, remains optimistic on their family’s claim on the disputed land of Sabah. In a forum held at the University Hotel in the University of the Philippines Diliman on March 12, Princess Kiram stated that she still hopes for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the Sulu sultanate and the Malaysian authorities.
Renovations to displace 1 in 2 UPD dormers THE UP DILIMAN (UPD) OFFICE OF STUDENT HOUSING (OSH) is set to reduce the number of available dormitory slots by half for the next semester due to impending renovations on most residence halls, said OSH Director Gerardo Lanuza. Funded by a P50-million budget from the Commis-
sion on Higher Education, the renovations will be conducted in all UP dormitories, except in the two buildings of Concordia B. Albaraccin Residence Hall in C. P. Garcia Avenue. Scheduled repairs include reroofing, retiling of corridors, rewiring, repainting, comfort room renovations, and the
construction of new conference rooms and basketball courts. Currently, UPD dormitories are host to about 3,000 students. The reduced number of slots for each dormitory will vary depending on the extent of the needed repairs, Lanuza said. Kamagong Residence Hall, which caters to male graduate
Rounding up the headlines of AY 2012-2013 AS UP CLOSES ANOTHER CHAPTER of its history, a brief recap of this year’s news stories reveals how students’ struggles echo the people’s continuing fight for social justice within and beyond the confines of the university.
THREATS TO UP’S PUBLIC CHARACTER June 2012 The Office of Scholarships and Student Services required UP students to submit certification requirements for Bracket B under the university’s Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP). More than 4000, or at least 1 out of 6 UP Diliman (UPD) students, were assigned to Bracket A and had to pay P1,500 per unit during enrolment, according to the Office of the Student Regent (SR).
July 2012 Funded in part by donations from the private sector, UP began the construction of the UP Professional Schools campus in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, which seeks to offer programs needed by corporate employees in BGC and Makati.
September 2012
December 2012
The final bracket assignments of more than 2,000 STFAP applicants were released after a two-month delay, resulting to a number of cases where students could not afford to pay tuition and had to file for leave of absence (LOA). The Board of Regents (BOR) junked the SR’s motion to abolish the Bracket B certification scheme but approved a new P500 laboratory fee for the Management and Information Systems and Technology 186 course in UP Cebu. The UP administration inked a deal with telecom giants ePLDT and SMART Communications Inc. for UP President Alfredo Pascual’s eUP project, which seeks to integrate information and communications technology systems and infrastructure across the UP system.
Under the 2013 national budget ratified by both houses of Congress, UP will receive P9.5 billion, or only 60 percent of the P18.4 billion proposed by the university administration. The BOR approved new laboratory fees and a 100-percent tuition hike for graduate courses in UPD College of Music, which will take effect in the second semester of next school year.
February 2013 The UP administration bared its proposal to “reform” the STFAP, amid calls by student groups to scrap the scheme and rollback the tuition in the context of demanding greater state subsidy.
will thus be charged only lodging fees. To assist the students in preparing for the reduction in available dormitory slots, the OSH has posted an advisory in January, advising prospective residents of the impending renovations and allowing current residents to renew their application for the next semester. The OSH however will also be conducting stricter implementation of the “point system” currently used as basis for evaluating applications for dormitory slots. For instance, those who are assigned into the lower brackets of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program and those who hail provinces far from UP will be prioritized over other applicants. “Because of the smaller number of [incoming] residents, we [will be] able to [screen applicants] by strictly following the point system,” said Lanuza. Meanwhile, the OSH and the UPD University Student Council (USC) can also help displaced dormitory residents to find alternative housing opportunities within and near the campus, said UPD USC Student Rights and Welfare Committee Head Aryanna Canacan.
and psychological trauma from the incident, Lordei still has not fully recovered and needs financial assistance.
November 2012 The UP Manila (UPM) administration barred about 50 students who failed to pay tuition on time from being admitted in their enlisted classes. After a dialogue with UPM officials, the said students were eventually allowed to make a late payment and attend their classes, but some had already filed leaves of LOA, said SR Cleve Arguelles. UP Los Baños (UPLB) students with unpaid loans were unable to enrol and also had to file for LOA, after the UPLB Chancellor junked the SR’s request to allow promissory notes in lieu of loan payment.
students, will be temporarily closed in the summer and in the first semester of the next academic year. Other dormitories will have some corridors or entire floors closed. On the other hand, Kamia Residence Hall, which hosts female undergraduate students, will have only minor repairs and thus will still be able to hold more than half of its current residents. For freshman dormitory Kalayaan Residence Hall, renovations will include the re-piping of all comfort rooms and the installation of new glass doors and new fire exits. To accommodate these repairs, only female residents will be admitted in the summer term and first semester of the next school year. The renovations will start in summer and will possibly be finished by the end of the first semester, Lanuza said. Due to these repairs, food service will also be disrupted in the single-fee dormitories which offer the said service, such as Kalayaan, Molave, and Ilang-Ilang Residence Halls, according to an announcement posted in the OSH website. Residents in these dormitories
December 2012
CAMPUS SECURITY
Following a series of securityrelated crimes in Los Baños, two UPLB students were found dead in a mountain creek along the Makiling hiking trail inside the campus. Police autopsy report revealed the two died of drowning.
June 2012
February 2013
The suspect in the attack on UPD Political Science student Lordei Hina bailed out of jail, a few days after the victim was released from the hospital where she underwent a successful brain surgery. Sustaining multiple physical injuries
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court held the first hearing on the robbery and serious physical injury charges against Lordei case suspect Danmar Vicencio. The prosecution plans to file non-bailable charges in the next few weeks.
FIGHT FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS September 2012 About 30 more families evacuated from Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon Province, due to human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by eight battalions of the military conducting anti-insurgency operations in the area. Continued on page 11