by APRIL ERIKA GINNE A. MANGUBAT
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BAGUIO CITY — A protest was held after the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) graduation at the Baguio Convention Center last April 23 against President Emerlinda Roman’s (UP President) administration.

More than 300 graduates in white formal gowns and barong tagalog marched from the three colleges of UP Baguio-College of Science, College of Arts and Communication, and College of Social Sciences, along with their parents, relatives, teachers and friends. They were located in the middle of the convention center and were heavily guarded by the university’s security guards and student marshalls.

Before the graduation, black ribbons and hand-outs were distributed by some members of its University Student Council (USC), Alliance of Concerned Students (ACS) political organization and Kabataan partylist to the graduates, their parents and teachers alike.
While the graduation was enfolding, two students were caught by the security force. They were identified as Kerie dela Peña, a member of its USC and Kabataan Partylist, and Kathryn Zarate, a member of ACS and Kabataan Partylist. According to reports, the two were caught because they were suspected of disrupting the graduation rites. In addition, a streamer with the call, “End the Roman Empire” was also confiscated.

“Sa totoo lang, wala kaming balak manggulo. Dahil kung ganun nga ang aming pakay, ‘di sana’y nag-agit na kami sa may conve upang marinig ni Roman ang aming galit. Kung gulo ang nais namin, sana’y pinuntahan na namin si Roman sa entablado at saka binato siya ng pintura… (In truth, we don’t have any plans of ruining the graduation. If that is our plan, we should’ve shouted in the convention center so Roman would hear our anger. If this is what we really want, we should’ve gone to the stage and thrown her paint…)” said dela Peña on a statement she made on Facebook hours after the graduation rites.

Upon seeing the two caught by the security guards, some graduates and students wearing black clothes and ribbons stood in front of the assembly after singing “UP Naming Mahal”- UP’s anthem, bringing with them a banner with a call, “Defend the OSR (Office of the Student Regent).

“Education is a right!” This is the main call of the students and graduates who protested.

According to the statement of UP Baguio’s USC, the protest was held as a part of a nationally coordinated action. This action, according to them was launched because of the different issues UP is facing due to UP President Roman. Among the issues discussed in the statement were the 300% tuition fee increase in 2007, privatization of UP owned lands resulting to its commercialization, and the latest which is the state of the Student Regent (SR) in the Board of Regents (BOR) or the highest policy-making body of the university .

“Stand up and be heard”, President Roman said in her message to the graduates during the commencement exercises.
As a reaction to this, dela Pe ña in her statement said that Pres. Roman is masquerading and that she is one of the primary people who killed the rights of the students to express themselves, killed UP’s democratic rights, and the mastermind behind the issues that surround UP.

On the UP congress just this April, the incumbent UP SR, Hon. Charisse Bernadine I. Bañez quoted a UP professor who said that what happens in UP is a reflection of the kind of administration the Philippines has. # nordis.net