Thread by @uplbperspective

NOW: The #SulongUP Student Summit 2021 begins.

Organized by the UP OSR and UPLB USC, this summit will cover topics such as the current conditions in the ST region and some parts of the UP system.

#UPStudentSummit2021

In her opening remarks, UPLB USC Vice-Chair Ma. Shaira Lei Daludado asserted that even though the students are not part of the workforce, they are still affected by the socio-economic effects brought about by the pandemic.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Daludado emphasizes the importance of upholding the students’ democratic right to academic freedom and #LigtasNaBalikEskwela, and for the admin to heed to the needs and calls of the students.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

USC Councilor Gean Celestial emphasizes how today’s discussion will help lobby the concerns of students to UPLB admin, in hopes of unifying the constituents towards the #SulongUP campaign.

#UPStudentSummit2021

UPLB CAS SC's Raine Garcia expects to learn a lot from the situationers from the speakers, and for the university to have more collaborations focused on making solutions that will truly help the students.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Celestial confirms that the #AcademicEase petition of the @R4EUPLB has reached over 566 signatories.

Read and sign the unity statement at tiny.cc/AcademicEaseUP… or forms.gle/P9PYnAjUsHV1sL…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

UPLB USC Chair Siegfred Severino emphasizes the significance of this year’s UP Student Summit, saying that this platform will allow students to raise their academic concerns, especially during a pandemic.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Despite technical difficulties at the start, Severino still pushes to hold the summit because of the 1000 attendees in the event.

The live stream of the UP Student Summit 2021 can be viewed on Facebook: facebook.com/watch/live/?v=….

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Defend Southern Tagalog Spokesperson Charmane Jay Maranan discusses civil liberties and the human rights movement and a goal to stop the dictatorship and tyranny of the current administration.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Maranan said that what is happening in Southern Tagalog is not that different from what is happening with the rest of the country.

She mentions the Southern Tagalog Regional Development Plan of the controversial Build! Build! Build! program.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Related story: uplbperspective.org/2021/02/18/wha…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Maranan: There have been nine documented fires in the urban poor communities that have experienced threats of demolition to make way for their development plans.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Related story: uplbperspective.org/2020/11/04/sus…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

On the PNR Rehabilitation Project, Maranan says that there is no clear system or any plan at all for relocating the urban poor communities' residents.

Context: uplbperspective.org/2020/07/23/pnr…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Maranan asserts to continue scrutinizing the purpose of the Kaliwa-Kanan-Laiban Dam project in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, as well as its effects on the environment and minority groups.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Context: uplbperspective.org/2020/10/31/def…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Maranan on the development projects of the government: Ang nagiging kawawa ay [yung] mamamayan.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Maranan: If you are killed in action, whoever it is that killed you must make sure that the body is brought back to the family and relatives.

She mentioned the case of two bodies buried in a public cemetery in Calamba unknown to their families.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Context: uplbperspective.org/2020/08/16/a-w…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

She also mentions the deaths of Rey Malaborbor, labor leader Dandy Miguel, and former Brgy. San Antonio captain Froilan Reyes.

Context: uplbperspective.org/2021/03/30/lid…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Further context: uplbperspective.org/2020/06/23/lag…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Citing other killings such as the #BloodySunday massacre and the murder of Los Banos Mayor Ceasar Perez, Maranan says: to simply air dissent and grievance against the gov’t is like having an immediate death sentence.

#NoToRedTagging
#UPStudentSummit2021

Context: uplbperspective.org/2021/04/17/fam…

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Further context: uplbperspective.org/2020/12/08/bum…

Maranan on workers losing jobs, unemployment, and farmers losing income: our fellow Filipinos need government assistance.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

"We need to unite, mobilize, and continue to air out dissent against the gov’t. We cannot keep quiet while Filipino lives are being killed," Maranan concludes.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

UPLB Situationer, Siegfred Severino highlighted the history of UPLB Student Movements, and illustrated how UPLB was the first community to fight against the Marcos dictatorship through the founding of the Serve the People Brigade and protest fairs.

#SulongUP
#UPStudentSummit2021

Severino recalls the year 1974 when the Council of Student Leaders were formed, the year after UPLB Perspective was established as well.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Severino: Sobrang palaban ang UPLB. Pagkatapos ng Martial Law, patuloy pa rin ang laban ng mga lider-estudyante. Nakikiisa rin tayo sa mga panawagan ng estudyante.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Severino also shares other UPLB student movements formed amidst the pandemic such as #N3TC (No To Third Term Sanchez), and #WelgaUPLB.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Context: uplbperspective.org/2020/08/09/coa…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Further context: uplbperspective.org/2020/11/20/wel…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Severino updates the body on the current campus state, while putting emphasis on the unused classrooms/laboratories, dormitories, and other facilities.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Severino on #LigtasNaBalikEskwela: Mismong CHED at IATF ang hindi nakikinig at hindi nagbibigay ng recommendation o alternatives upang maisiguro ang #LigtasNaBalikEskwela.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Context: uplbperspective.org/2021/03/02/upl…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On campus security, Severino says that the resolution for the UPLB Safe Haven has been approved by the UPLB Execomm, which ensures to uphold the UP-DND accord and the academic freedom of its constituents.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On student welfare, Severino says that platforms such as the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs OVCSA can help students air their grievances and mental health concerns.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Severino also calls out the recent implementation of a UPLB “faux reading break,” asserting that the said break is not enough for constituents to cope with the rising Covid concerns.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Severino calls on the UPLB community to support pro-student campaigns, such as no to stringent deadlines, yes to self-paced learning, and continued support for the faculty members.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

To end the situationer, Severino pushes for nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented solutions that protect our democratic right to education and academic freedom.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral (KASAMA) sa UP National Chairperson Sarah Magnaye, explains how the UP system was established along with the other state universities in the country, and defines the trajectory of the student movement in UP.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Magnaye then explained the neoliberal setup of education in our count, emphasizing on the different deregulation in the education and curriculum reforms that affected how students will be incorporated in schools.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Moving on to the translation of UP education, Magnaye elaborates the effect of different policies caused by the pandemic in this online learning setup and on students' mental health.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Magnaye explains the implementation of Republic Act 10931 (Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act) along with the profiteering schemes, and the persisting collection of tuition and other school fees because of the budget cuts.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Magnaye also articulates that the lands of UP are being sold to or loaned by companies for income instead of being used by students or the community for research and/or academic pursuit.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Magnaye: UP education does not serve the students nor the Filipino people in the present.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On campus repression, Magnaye enumerated the different attacks on the right to organization and association, attacks on freedom and expression, and of the press along with the campus militarization and growing police activity in UP.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Context: uplbperspective.org/2021/02/28/a-y…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Further context: uplbperspective.org/2020/08/16/a-w…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Further context: uplbperspective.org/2021/01/19/up-…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

To conclude, Magnaye communicates the need for a nationalist, science, and mass-oriented education, as well as a safe and accessible quality education amid the pandemic, in order to subdue UP's orientation that serves colonial interests.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Danessa Lopega, Chairperson of the UPLB College of Development Communication Student Council, believes that as students, we can make a great contribution in the the fights against repression, for both the students and country's struggles.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On the fifth agenda item of the #UPStudentSummit2021, Student Regent Renee Co elaborates the history of the Office of the Student Regent, as well as the duties and members of the Board of Regents with their representations.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co expounds the timeline of the history of the student movements in UP, and the responsibilities of the student regent in the movement.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

CO on the abolishment of UP-DND accord: the agreement’s abolition inhibits spaces for safe dissent, posing a threat to students’ academic freedom, which is why the call for #DefendUP and #DefendAcademicFreedom has intensified.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On the #LigtasBalikEskwela campaign, Co calls for a joint effort of the school administration and government, emphasizing that they must prioritize inclusive and proactive actions like mass testing and accessible health services.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co: And since these are not the priority of the government, we have to hold them accountable. Tanggalin sa mga posisyon ‘yung mga official, dahil ‘yung kanilang mistakes will lead to more deaths and infections.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Context: uplbperspective.org/2020/10/26/sci…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Further context: uplbperspective.org/2020/03/24/bli…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On the student representations on UP, Co commends the high voters turnout of the recently concluded UPLB USC-CSC elections.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Context: uplbperspective.org/2021/03/20/lon…

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co urges the different councils and organizations to hold activities that will influence the youth to participate in the upcoming 2022 election, and explains how we could spread campaigns highlighting these steps: arouse, organize, and mobilize.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Gean Celestial, USC councilor, asks for clarity on a few issues in the memorandum sent to students such as: the possibility of a deduction if the requirement is handed in late, and the requiring of submissions after the wellness break.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co on professors who do not give feedback to students: Feedbacks must be given to the students as included in the memorandum. We can consult it to the administration, local council, VCO or local OSA to remind the faculty.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Janette Silva, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, on professors who do not get feedback: The professors must give feedbacks. You can contact the OVCSA and OVCAA for your concerns about this.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co also reiterated that everyone should participate in the #LigtasNaBalikEskwela campaign because it will show government officials that their poor pandemic response is the main reason why we are still unable to hold face-to-face classes.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Furthermore, Co urged the students to call for better pandemic response, and that they should prioritize medical solutions.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co calls to #OustDuterte and other officials who are the “barriers” in the pandemic response.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva's concept of academic freedom: The faculty's academic freedom is knowing how they can teach at their best as professionals. This cannot be used as a reason to deny the inclusion of the memorandum, and this is used for the students' wearer.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva on professors who are giving a lot of requirements: Mahalaga yung negotiation sa klase. Gambit in natin yung mechanisms like airing grievances [...] pwede mag feedback sa faculty member.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva on course loads in enrolling: Consider you mental health. Consider all your possible cosiderations na kailangan mong pag-isipan dahil hind nga normal ang panahong ito.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva on dropping courses: The call to drop the course is really based on the student's decision, upon consultation with the adviser and instructor.

Silva said that she will also be clarifying the matter with VCAA Jean Loyola.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva: Katulad ng dati, hindi pwede na ifo-force drop ka ng prof. Kaya and nakasulat doon ay you have to confer with your advisee and instructor.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva: Silva: So kung hindi nakaka-cope yung bata tas binigyan ko ng INC, option parin naman ng bata mag-INC pero baka gusto na nya mag-decide mag-drop. But then again it should be up to the student.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

She added that a DRP mark with the annotation of “due to COVID” will be added as well, but will be consulted with students so as for them to have “peace of mind.”

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co hoped that the No-Fail Policy from the previous sem, wherein students will not be able to get a grade of 4 or 5 in any subject, will be retained now.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co: So we hope that the last sem’s policies can reflect this sem, and we hope that mahabol ito, namagkaroon ng no forced drop, and yung iba pang concerns ng students sa memo ay pwede nilang mahayag [...]

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Former USC chair Jainno Bongon suggested for students to instead receive a deferred grade instead of being dropped.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

He said that this would make the changing of grades (once requirements have been completed) less bureaucratic for faculty members.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co said that Bongon's suggestion will be taken into consideration, and it "will be the call of the OSR going forward."

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co encouraged students to continue clamoring for #AcademicEaseNow and #LigtasNaBalikEskwela to further strengthen their campaigns.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva: Basta ang kampanya natin ay halaw sa karanasan ng mga estudyante natin at halaw sa datos batay sa kalagayan ng mga-aaral, I will definitely support the cause and complaints of the students.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Barber, CAFS SC chair, says that their council supports the calls for academic ease and recalibrating deadlines. He mentions students having to deal with fieldwork while more COVID-19 cases were reported.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

In addition to calling for plans for more hands-on tasks such as the ones faced by CAFS, Barber raises the issue of mental health. He highlighted that many CAFS students opened up about their struggles with anxiety among other challenges.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Barber: Sana makita yung urgency non, kasi po we lost people, we lost students in the midst of online classes so mental health by, siguro ang acad ease ay isang paraan ng paglulutas non.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva, on whether or not miscellaneous and laboratory fees will be waived for second dregree students, said that students may write a letter to OC for that specfic exchange.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#Sulong2021

Co says that they are campaigning for “free and accessible” education and the waiving of “unnecessary” fees. She asserted that OSR and USCs will continue to push for their calls to avoid bureaucracy.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva, responding to a question on grade changes, said that only concerned faculty has he authority to change grades. Concerned students should let unit heads know of any urgent matters, so that a fact finding committee could look into the issue.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva added that faculty members are always reminded “countless times” to proofread encoded grades. If there are times when grades are not aligned with what is agreed between the learner and the instructor, “pwede mo siya i-raise.”

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva answers by saying that mental health (MH) programs were based on two major surveys: the call center that caters to students who are victims of typhoons, and the student registry for the ones affected by COVID cases.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

On system-wide implementation, Silva says that an MH training program was launched by the OVPPA to increase the number of focal people that constituents can refer to for MH concerns.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva: Kasi alam nilang limitado yung mga personnel natin sa UPLB. Kailagan rin natin intindihin na hindi lamang MH concern ng estudyante ang nga-dedeteriorate ngayon pati rin sa faculty members, and all the employees.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Silva also reveals a partnership program with Red Cross PH, which is still in the works due to the scale-wide factors they have yet to address, saying

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

"May offices sila in different communities. Ang gusto sana nila ay to know kung sino ang kailangan puntahan para mag-home visit sila," Silva said.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

"Kahit gusto namin na mas marami na tayong makatuwang para doon sa MH concerns ng mag-aaral ay hindi natin isinasantabi ang data privacy at yung overall security [nila] kaya hintayin po natin yung [on Red Cross PH’s end]," Silva added.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Regarding the recent memo released by the UPLB admin, Silva says: Lagi’t lagi hindi mas mataas ang academic freedom ng isang indiv kesa sa general welfare ng mag-aaral, let your voice be heard, i-report lang po para we can address it.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co also emphasized other system-wide MH projects that uphold peer-to-peer support, such as Ugnayang Pahinungod which promotes a professional level of psychosocial support through specialized training.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

Co: Sana dumami yung mga programa, may ongoing efforts na systemwide na dumamo ang full time ang pinaka-mental health ng lahat.

#UPStudentSummit2021
#SulongUP

After sharing more manifestations and answering more questions, and Severino's closing remarks, once again calling the constituents towards their #UPSulong campaign and for #AcademicEaseNow, the program ends with the singing of UP Naming Mahal.

#UPStudentSummit2021