Students march to Mendiola to protest cuts in education budget

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of students from different schools around Metro Manila walked out of their classrooms Friday afternoon and trooped to the Don Chino Roces (formerly Mendiola) Bridge in Manila to protest looming budget cuts in education and other social services.

Students from the University of the Philippines in Diliman and in Manila; the Polytechnic University of the Philippines; the Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology; and the Philippine Normal University marched to the bridge as a culmination of a week-long protest against what they claimed was a cutback by the government on social services.

The mass action coincided with protests launched by the youth in different regions.

In a statement, Kilos na Laban sa Budget Cuts spokesperson Vencer Crisostomo said, “This day is the culmination of the week-long spate of protest activities against the social services cutback. The P146 million cut on the budget for state universities and colleges will lead to higher tuition rates and bloated miscellaneous fees, making education a privilege exclusive to those who can afford.”

The groups decried what they said was the “continuing trend of state neglect of basic services.”