(First of 3 parts)

THE PHILIPPINES has gone through a lot this year — from natural disasters such as the eruption of Taal Volcano in January and the Masbate earthquake in August, to the onslaught of strong typhoons in October and November that left multiple cities and provinces flooded, and worst the Covid19 pandemic.

As 2020 draws to a close, we look back at some social and economic issues where student engagements were monumental.

1. Academic freeze

The decision to open classes in the middle of the pandemic was met with criticism by a lot of people, especially the students and their parents. They reported that their household income and finances were greatly affected by the months of lockdown. Parents argued that they could not afford to buy the tools needed for distance learning.

When the country rolled out distance learning, students and parents aired their grievances on the difficulties brought by online classes.

As early as March, students, teachers and other sectors called for an academic freeze.

The Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan said the basis for the academic freeze was the lack of preparedness for distance learning. Students and teachers also said that they do not have the necessary equipment for online learning like gadgets and stable internet connection.

SPARK called on President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an executive order declaring an academic freeze until January 2021 to give the government and other stakeholders ample time to prepare for the shift to distance learning.

“There’s no denying that an academic freeze is the most rational and humanitarian response in the time of global pandemic and economic recession and is widely supported by the overwhelming number of students, teachers and parents across the economic spectrum and geographical zones,” John Lazaro, SPARK spokesperson, said.

“All it takes is for Duterte to sign his name once, and millions of students and their parents will be alleviated from the burden of online classes. Duterte paid much lip service to the idea of postponing classes until Covid19 vaccine was found. Now, he must put his pen where his mouth is and act on it,” he added.

2. Tuition hike and excess fees

Despite additional expenses because of the shift to distance learning, some private colleges and universities applied for tuition increases for SY 2020-2021.

Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera III said that they received a total of 393 applications, 89 of which sought tuition increase.

“Some schools applied for tuition fee increases to make the salaries of their faculty competitive. This is not directly connected with flexible learning at all, it is a mechanism for schools to remain competitive because they are losing their faculty to state universities and colleges in significant numbers,” De Vera said.

However, the National Union of Students of the Philippines said that “no tuition and other fees increase will be reasonable” while ordinary citizens are suffering from the economic impact of the Covid19 pandemic.

“The Union challenges CHED and the Duterte administration to stop treating education as a business venture. Instead, heed to the students’ demands including the moratorium on the tuition and other fees petitions as filed by the Union. Increases in tuition fees will cause growth in numbers of school youth and will eventually lead to bigger social issues,” the group said.

Student councils also aired their dismay after some schools and universities imposed “unnecessary” charges.

3. Press freedom

Everybody was taken aback when the National Telecommunications Commission ordered network giant ABS-CBN to cease operations.

On July 10, the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchise voted 70-11 against granting ABS-CBN a new franchise, saying the network committed numerous violations.

After the network signed off, student journalists joined calls to defend press freedom and free speech in the Philippines.

The University of the Philippines’ Philippine Collegian said the closure was the government’s way to silence its critics.

“Sa gitna ng daing ng mamamayan ngayong pandemya, mahahawan ng ingit ng pinipilit isara, patahimikin. Panggigipit ang palagiang tugon ng pamahalaan sa midyang nagsisiwalat ng katotohanan. Kasama ng ABS-CBN ang lahat ng midyang malaya at mga sector na kapit-bisig na lumalaya sa pagkakapiit,” the Philippine Collegian said.

Meanwhile, the University of the East’s RedWire said that the attack on Philippine media is one of the most devastating blows to democracy since Martial Law. RedWire also said that the timing couldn’t be worse since ABS-CBN was shut down in the middle of a pandemic.

“Mariing kinokondena ng RedWire ang desisyon ng NTC at ang kabi-kabilang pag-atake sa kalayaan sa pamamahayag at pagsasalita. Imbes na mas bigyang tuon ng administrasyon na tugunan ang mga panawagan at pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga mamamayan ay mas pinag-iigting  nito ang mga hakbangin tungo sa banta ng pasismo at diktadurya,” RedWire said.

4. Activism is not terrorism

On July 3, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11479 otherwise known as the Anti-Terrorism Law. The law took effect on July 18.

Critics of the government said that the anti-terror law could be used to silence the critics of the government.

The #JunkTerrorBill and #JunkTerrorBillNow were all over social media. A lot of Filipinos, including student organizations, denounced the bill and the politicians who pushed for it.

The Agham Youth of the University of the Philippines said that activism does not and will never amount to terrorism as it only upholds the values of national democracy.

“The new law will only give the administration elbow room to interpret its provisions, making it prone to abuse. Activism is not a crime. Fight for our democratic rights,” the group said.

Ateneo Human Rights Center, meanwhile, said the legislature’s seemingly hurried plan to propose the bill validates the people’s suspicion that “such haste is intended to mask certain provisions of the bill.”

“The attempt to use the anti-terror bill as a toll for repression rather than for thwarting terrorism is appalling. While any form of terrorism is unacceptable, national security can never be at the expense of the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution”, it added. (To be continued)