UP Manila execs call for sobriety

Officials of the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) have declared Monday, March 18,  a “Day of Mourning in remembrance of Kristel Pilar Mariz Tejada, Iskolar ng Bayan.”

It also suspended classes in all academic units on the Padre Faura campus as it called for sobriety amid public dismay and outrage over the suicide of a freshman forced to put her studies on hold because she could not pay the tuition.

“The reason is to call for sobriety, reflection and also to express condolences again. This may be a rallying symbol to turn this tragedy into a higher noble cause for a permanent solution to problems in education,” UP public affairs director Dr. Anthony Leachon in an interview Sunday after he went to Tejada’s wake.

The UP Manila Student Council, meanwhile, called on all UP campuses to observe a week-long period of mourning and drape a black cloth over the Oblation to signify that students were standing up for education and justice. Mass protests were also expected to continue in the form of marches, a noise barrage and vigils.

Tejada’s body will be brought to the Philippine General Hospital chapel in the coming days before she is laid to rest by the end of the week.

Based on new details released over the weekend by the UPM administration, the 16-year-old Behavioral Sciences freshman had found it hard to cope with the state university’s loan and tuition policies from the time she entered UP last year.

Tejada, the eldest of five children of a taxi driver and a housewife, killed herself in their home in Tayuman, Manila, last Friday, two days after she was forced to file a leave of absence when she failed to pay her tuition for the second semester.

When she enrolled in the first semester on May 10, 2012, her tuition was P9,172.50 since under UP’s socialized tuition scheme called the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP), she was classified as belonging to Bracket D where students must pay P300 per unit.

She paid P2,795.50 the next day while she took out a loan of P6,377 to pay for the remainder. Her father settled the loan only on Dec. 19 when the second semester was already underway.

By then, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) had denied her father’s application for another loan to cover her tuition for the second semester. The Tejadas were told that they had been given three extensions to pay the full tuition “and it was already mid-semester.”

“Since it is a violation of Article No. 332 of the University Code, the appeal could no longer be accommodated as it will set a precedent,” the UPM administration said.

On Sept. 27, Tejada asked that she be reclassified under the STFAP as belonging to Bracket E so that she would be spared from having to pay tuition.

But her appeal was not acted upon as, according to the UPM  administration, she “failed to submit supporting documentary requirements for [her] appeal to be processed during the designated period despite frequent reminders from the OSA.”

Tejada’s case has triggered calls for a review of the tuition policy in the premier state university which gets the lion’s share of the budget for state colleges and universities.

UP President Alfredo Pascual called a news conference on Monday to unveil a proposed modification of the STFAP.

Leachon, meanwhile, said two UPM alumni who wanted to remain anonymous had pledged to donate P100,000 and P50,000, respectively, to start a trust fund to assist students having trouble meeting their loan obligations.

He added that it turned out many people were willing to help but there was no structure in place.

“Tomorrow is a new day and carries with it a chance to work some good in an imperfect world. Kristel is not the first nor the only victim of poverty. What is necessary is for people to keep trying to make her the last,” he said.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: (https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline)

Alternatively, you can contact Hopeline PH at the following numbers: 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong.org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.