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Protests held at UP-PGH over proposed education reforms

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Izzy Lee, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - A protest action and candle lighting were held on Friday afternoon in front of UP–Philippine General Hospital in Manila to voice opposition against proposed education reforms.Student activists gathered to express their discontentment with recent pronouncements made by Department of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno regarding the sustainability of free college tuition and its impact on the poor.Kate Almenzo, spokesperson for Anakbayan National, expressed deep frustration over Diokno&#x27;s remarks.&quot;Limitado na nga yung nakakatamasa ng libreng edukasyon sa bansa natin tatapyasan pa ng budget,&quot; she stated.Almenzo criticized the allocation of P5 billion for confidential funds as a waste of resources.&quot;Samantalang sa ilalim ng free tuition law P65 lang yung natatamasa ng bawat estudyante kada araw,&quot; she said.&quot;Di naman po totoo na short tayo sa budget kasi kung titignan mo ang laki laki ng budget natin sa militarization, pulis,&quot; she added.According to Almenzo, the alleged mismanagement of priorities should be addressed by cutting funds from the NTF-ELCAC program, which allocates a significant amount of resources for surveillance and red-tagging activities.As a symbolic act, the protesters lit candles to represent their belief that darkness is shrouding the country under the leadership of Marcos Jr., as they feel their rights are being violated.In addition to their opposition to education budget cuts, the demonstrators also expressed their objection to the mandatory ROTC program, raising concerns about its impact on students&#x27; rights and well-being.Ivan Sugcang, the national chairperson of the League of Filipino Students, addressed the issue of reforming the K to 12 curriculum. Sugcang highlighted the lack of clarity in the government&#x27;s plans, stating that addressing the education crisis goes beyond curriculum revisions.&quot;Walang malinaw na plano na pinepresent ang gobyerno natin sa kung paano nila tutugunan ang education crisis na pinepresenta nila na isang paraan yung matatag curriculum when in reality the problem of education crisis goes beyond curriculum revisions,&quot; Sugcang saidHe pointed out the dire state of classrooms, with two out of three school buildings in need of repairs, as well as the shortage of teaching and non-teaching personnel. Sugcang called for the abandonment of the K to 12 program and democratic consultations to determine the genuine needs of the education system, including adequate teaching materials and resources.The protesters urged the youth to resist any efforts that, in their view, infringe upon their right to education.<div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qfDh8dQxV10?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Student activists gathered to express their discontentment with recent pronouncements made by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno regarding the sustainability of free college tuition and its impact on the poor.

Protests held at UP-PGH over proposed education reforms

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Protests held at UP-PGH over proposed education reforms

Izzy Lee,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 08, 2023 11:01 PM PHT

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UP–Philippine General Hospital

UP PGH

Benjamin Diokno

education reforms

free college tuition

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