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Student leader asserts admission at BCU

BAGUIO CITY (June 10) — After leading and winning the fight against the expensive affiliation fee for nursing students and tuition hike of the Baguio Central University (BCU), Chester Mark Tuazon, governor of the Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Narsing at Midwifery, is now facing a new battle. He is now asserting his right to enroll at BCU.

In an interview with NORDIS, Tuazon disclosed that BCU President Margarita Fernandez requested him to transfer to another school because of the stress he caused Fernandez during the rallies his group staged last year. He is a nursing student, hoping to graduate this semester.

BCU nursing and midwifery students started to stage protest actions sometime in January. These demonstrations prompted the school administration to lower its affiliation fee from P24,000 to P7,000 and the tuition hike from 10% to 5% when the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued an order in favor of the students.

Tuazon is a CHED scholar. CHED did not withdraw his scholarship and recommended his re-admission. According to CHED’s recommendation, there is no basis for BCU to refuse to accept Tuazon because he did not violate any law and is in good standing.

Further, Tuazon said CHED Regional Director Margarita Jasmin advised him to enroll because the issues raised during the rallies that he led were legitimate. Despite CHED’s recommendation, BCU refused to admit Tuazon. According to the school registrar, BCU’s last day of enrollment for nursing students is on June 14.

Tuazon said he already consulted a lawyer and would file necessary charges. He added that he already furnished BCU a copy of his affidavit through the school registrar.

Moreover, Tuazon said he did not regret leading the demonstrations because it was a right guaranteed by the Constitution. He said the favorable result of the demonstrations his group initiated is a big help to many parents who are working very hard to send their children to school.

In a separate interview, John Panem coordinator of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said that Fernandez failed to learn her lesson. He added that this is not the first time BCU administration refused to accept the enrollment of a student leader. He cited the case of Jose Licawen, another student leader that BCU refused to admit in 1999.

According to an earlier NORDIS report, Licawen filed and won the petition for mandamus and damages against BCU for its refusal to accept his re-enrolment. The Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordered BCU to pay Licawen a total of P55,000 for moral and exemplary damages for violating his freedom of expression and right to association. Mandamus is a special civil action, which seeks the court aid of issuing an order against a person or institution to do an act, in this case to admit the enrollment of Licawen. The case took almost four years before the court came up with its decision.

Panem stressed that Licawen and Tuazon’s case is a clear example of student repression. He said the NUSP would assist Tuazon until the end.

Meanwhile, the school registrar refused to comment on Tuazon’s case. NORDIS also contacted Fernandez on June 10, but she was not available. # Kimberlie Olmaya Ngabit-Quitasol for NORDIS

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