UP slams Duterte’s red-tagging, defunding threat

The University of the Philippines (UP) community slammed President Rodrigo Duterte’s red-tagging and threat to defund the university.

“Duterte’s threats to defund UP ignore the very reason UP is calling for the end of the semester,” University Student Council chairman Froilan Cariaga said in a statement.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The criminal neglect towards the pandemic and back-to-back calamities has made remote learning impossible for many students and professors,” he added.

Faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman urged the school’s administration to “immediately” end the semester due to the challenges brought by the effects of typhoons that badly damaged the Luzon and Bicol region.

At least 134 faculty members said Sunday that the recent storms worsened the UP students’ and teachers’ difficulties with the distance learning implementation amid the pandemic.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The struggles of the learners are further intensified by the recent calamities, leaving students and faculty from Bicol, Cagayan, Isabela, Marikina, and Rizal, among others, with an indefinite and debilitating loss of electricity and internet connection, destruction of properties and homes, and loss of loved ones,” the faculty members said.

“With only three weeks left to finish the semester, discounting the time needed to recover by those affected by the recent typhoons, the pressure to finish the remaining days of the semester has exacerbated to the point of inhumanity,” the group added.

UP slams Duterte’s red-tagging, defunding threat

On Tuesday, President Rodrigo  threatened to withdraw the funding of the  (UP) amid Ateneo de Manila University () students’ call for an .

ADVERTISEMENT

Duterte also accused UP of recruiting communist rebels inside their campus.

“‘Yung mga eskwelahan, UP, fine. Maghinto kayo ng aral, I will stop the funding. Wala nang ginawa itong ano kundi mag-recruit ng mga komunista diyan,” he said in his weekly address.

According to Anakbayan UP Diliman Spokesperson Ajay Lagrimas, Duterte “only exposes himself as a fascist further with this statement.”

“It is clear: Duterte has no intentions of serving the people. And now, he attacks the legitimate calls of the youth with baseless accusations in an attempt to silence their growing dissent. Attacks like this further justifies our action, and continued neglect will only push more and more UP students to the streets,” Lagrimas said.