STUDENTS of the University of the Philippines Diliman appealed to school officials to suspend classes on May 9, election day.

“Most of the youth voting for this upcoming election are college students. However, the Commission on Higher Education has yet to declare a suspension of classes on election day,” the students said in a letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion.

“At this point in time, Malacañang has yet to declare May 9 as a special non-working holiday, as is the practice in previous election years,” the letter added.

The UP Student Council and regional councils also requested the suspension of synchronous classes and the submission of other school activities from May 6-11, 2022.

“UP students are concerned about the time and manner by which they can participate on Election Day when they have scheduled synchronous class sessions and/or asynchronous class requirements that are due and must be finished by that day,” they added.

The student councils pointed out that some learners reside in or near their campuses because of limited face-to-face classes and must go back to their provinces or cities in order to vote.

“Some students will need to travel by air just to vote, which will also be affected by their class schedules for the day,” they said.

Meanwhile, the student body called on the community to vote.

“We ask the UP administration to ensure that UP students get to exercise their civic duties on May 9,” it said.