“Faced with the difficulty of not being able to pay her tuition, a 16-year old female freshman at the University of the Philippines-Manila has reportedly poisoned herself.”

- Newsdesk Asia

Media is now reporting her death was linked to the university policy that forced her to take a leave of absence when she was unable to pay her tuition.

UP has a long history of providing underprivileged students with a chance of bettering themselves through higher education.

Whether the policy is a reason for her suicide or not, policies such as the "no late payment" and "forced leave of absence" are anathema to the UP system's nature as a "university of the people."

I have always known the University of the Philippines system as committed to producing "scholars of the people." It was drummed into the minds of graduates that upon leaving the halls of the university, it behooves them to pay back their education through service to the country since the system is funded by taxpayers' money. 


According to media reports, the administration of UP Manila ordered professors to bar students who have not paid school fees from attending classes. It also threatened students who have not paid the fees with forcible leave of absences if they are unable to settle their dues.

Please join me and call on UP Manila to provide better support to students under financial distress and to not bar them from classes if payments are late.

By Alcuin Papa

Petition Organizer 

What happened in the UP presscon

I attended today's presscon of UP to ask a question and to deliver the petition to UP officials.

I tried to ask a question during the open forum but was shooed away from the mic by Prof. Popoy De Vera of NCPAG because I was not representing any media outfit. I went there as a taxpayer who started the petition. I wanted to ask my question as the petition starter and taxpayer. I was disappointed by the treatment I got from Prof. De Vera. If this is the way he treats taxpayers who pay HIS salary, UP is in a lot of trouble. This is not the UP I know.

In any case, UP officials were talking more on the STFAP and what they are doing to correct whatever weaknesses there is in the system. But what UP students have known all along is that the STFAP has been defective since it was implemented 20 years ago. Why then are these so-called reforms coming only now? These officials are realizing the problems only now? Where and what have they been doing all this time? 

UP Manila Chancellor Agulto ev