The Oblation, symbol of the University of the Philippines, at the UP Diliman campus was draped in black on Monday as university officials held a press conference over the suicide of a UP Manila freshman last week.
Kabataan party-list, whose members picketed outside the administration building, said in a press statement that Oblation statues in UP campuses across the country “to symbolize the ‘death of affordable and accessible education’ in the country.”
The death of Kristel Tejada, 16, who took her own life on Friday, has led to widespread criticism of a UP Manila policy that supposedly forces students to go on a leave of absence over unpaid school fees.
UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Manuel Agulto denied at the press conference that Tejada had been forced to go on a leave of absence. He said the university could no longer approve an appeal by Tejada’s father on January 23 asking for a student loan because it was already halfway through the semester.
He said the deadline for Tejada to pay her tuition fees had already been extended three times.
Members of Kabataan party-list outside the building said, however, that UP should not blame Tejada’s parents but its increased tuition fees and its allegedly faulty Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program. “You cannot reform STFAP, STFAP is the problem,” they said.
In a statement over the weekend, UP president Alfredo Pascual said reforms to simplify UP’s STFAP were already underway even before Tejada’s death.
“It is unfortunate that this tragedy happened a day after I instructed the Chancellors of all UP units at our council meeting held last Thursday that we should not deny access to qualified students who can not enroll because of financial constraints,” he said.
The university president added that “in the coming days, my administration will take the necessary steps to address the policy and administrative issues that are related to this unfortunate tragedy.”
The Department of Behavioral Sciences of UP Manila has meanwhile called for the resignations of Agulto and UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Josephine De Luna.
“Kristel’s case cannot be disregarded as suicide – the system that has allowed tuition to rapidly bloat has in fact murdered her. Yes, we demand accountability on part of the UP administration but ultimately, we should direct our outrage at the Aquino administration, whose ‘noynoying’ style of government has pushed its people to death,” Kabataan party-list president Terry Ridon said.
