Daven Tamayo

Bestlink College students protest alleged expensive mandatory tours

Article (news)

Izzy Lee

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — Students of Bestlink College of the Philippines in Novaliches, Quezon City, held a rally on Thursday afternoon, protesting the alleged imposition of expensive mandatory field trips and tours.The demonstration, joined by youth groups, took place in front of the school, with students calling for changes in the system.&quot;Sa Facebook page po kasi nila may nilalagay po sila dun na nakapost wala daw pong tuition fee, ang babayaran lang daw 4,975 lang po na miscellaneous fee pero once makapasok ka sa school na yan dito na po lalabas ang mandatory fee po,&quot; said Jin, a student.Some parents also criticized the school for allegedly making frequent and costly field trips mandatory.&quot;Imagine ang field trip nila hindi lang isang beses sa isang taon nagkakahalaga ang 6k, 7k, 8k, 13k, may 30k (pesos) pa. Mahihirap mga estudyante diyan... Pag di po sumali, ibabagsak yung mga anak namin or may ipagagawa sa kanila na pagpapahirap sakanila,&quot; Syd said.Jasper, a student at Bestlink College, expected to enjoy their Foundation Day at a resort in Hermosa, Bataan, on January 26. However, instead of a fun experience, he claimed they felt neglected even after paying P1,250 for the event.&quot;Binayaran naman namin &#x27;yung foundation day namin pero parang di po makatao yung ginawa nila samin kasi kahit cottage po wala silang naiprovide samin para po kaming mga basura dun na nakalapag lang po sa semento,&quot; Jasper said.After the event, students were allegedly informed that the buses taking them back home would follow a first-come, first-served basis. Some teachers reportedly left before the students.&quot;Yung iba pong professor is nauna na po talaga nakikipaghabulan din po sila sa mga bus...nakipag-unahan din po sila sa mga student which is mali rin po yung ginawa nila kasi nga kargo nila yung mga estudyante nila dun,&quot; said another student Jenny.Some students said they walked approximately four kilometers to reach the buses, leading to exhaustion and even fainting.On Wednesday, Bestlink College released a statement denying the claims circulating on social media, calling them &quot;false and fabricated&quot;.The school claimed that the accounts of the incident were not accurate.&quot;Nakakainis kasi ginawa nila kaming sinungaling noh. Mula dun sa mga reports, mga videos, mga pictures, kami mismong mga estudyante yung nakaranas ng hirap at perwisyo,&quot; said Andrea, a student.In a supplementary statement released Thursday, however, Bestlink clarified that they are not invalidating the experiences of those students who walked and got exhausted during the event in Bataan.“Taliwas sa pagkakaunawa ng karamihan sa naunang inilabas na pahayag ng pamunuan ng Bestlink College of the Philippines, hindi pinabubulaanan ng pamunuan ang naging kaganapan sa Punta Belle, Hermosa, Bataan noong ika-26 ng Enero 2025. Hindi rin pinabubulaanan ng pamunuan ang nangyaring paglalakad, pagkapagod, pagkagutom, at pagkahilo na naranasan ng ibang mga estudyante matapos ang naging kaganapan sa nasabing lugar,” it said.They also emphasized that they consider these complaints as legitimate sentiments, and added that what they were calling as “false and fabricated” were claims that there were casualties, and missing students, which it considers as malicious.The school likewise clarified that the students voluntarily walked towards their buses, some of which had to be parked in other parts of Hermosa due to the number of buses needed to transport the students.“At sa katunayan, base na sa naunang pahayag, inako ng pamunuan ang responsibilidad sa nangyari at itinuturing iyon bilang aral. Kung kaya, ang pamunuan ay lubos rin humihingi ng paumanhin sa mga labis na naapektuhan, kasama na din ang Lungsod Quezon, dulot ng nasabing pangyayari,” it added.Senator Win Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said that while the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has issued a show cause order against Bestlink College, he urged CHED to identify those responsible and impose the necessary sanctions.He also called on CHED, schools, and higher education institutions to review policies on off-campus activities to ensure student safety.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/29/bestlink-college-of-ph-says-issues-on-foundation-day-fabricated-not-true-2023">Bestlink College of PH says issues on foundation day ‘fabricated, not true’; welcomes probe</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/28/student-recalls-traumatizing-experience-during-qc-colleges-foundation-day-in-bataan-1709">Student recalls ‘traumatizing’ experience during QC college’s foundation day in Bataan</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/video/news/02/21/17/bestlink-college-nangako-ng-tulong-sa-mga-pamilya-ng-mga-nasawing-estudyante" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bestlink College, nangako ng tulong sa mga pamilya ng mga nasawing estudyante</a></div>

Students of Bestlink College of the Philippines in Novaliches, Quezon City, held a rally on Thursday afternoon, protesting the alleged imposition of expensive mandatory field trips and tours.

Students of Bestlink College of the Philippines in Novaliches, Quezon City, held a rally on Thursday afternoon, protesting the alleged imposition of expensive mandatory field trips and tours.