UP Manila students, councils, call for mass promotion after BOR decision

The UP Manila community took to social media after the University of the Philippines’ Board of Regents (BOR) approved the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) regarding the conduct of the semester.

Only the sectoral regents, who represent the students, faculty and staff, voted against the said recommendations which included “deferred grade” for students as well as the deadline of May 31, 2020 to comply with requirements given by their professors.

While the BOR meeting was ongoing, the UP Manila University Student Council (UPM USC) urged students to voice their concerns on social media.

“The demanding effects of the national crisis and ongoing pandemic are more than enough proof that we are all undergoing difficult times. Extraordinary circumstances beckon extraordinary measures. Thus, WE ARE FIRM IN OUR CALL FOR THE MOST HUMANE ACTION TO BE DONE BY THE UNIVERSITY: END THE SEMESTER AND IMPLEMENT MASS PROMOTION,” said the UPM USC in a statement.

The student council also expressed its opposition to the subsequent decision by the highest decision-making body in the university.

“Despite the clamor of the entire UP system for mass promotion and the immediate termination of the semester, the Board of Regents has turned a blind eye to the legitimate concerns and welfare of the students, faculty, and staff. The BOR-approved PAC recommendations will not, in any way, ease the already heavy toll this crisis places on the well-being of the students.”

The UPM College of Arts and Sciences Student Council also condemned the decision.

“Hindi naging pangunahing priyoridad ang mga pinansiyal, pangkalusugan, at mental na kapasidad ng mga estudyante, at patuloy na hindi pinakikinggan ang pinakamalaking sector ng ating Pamantasan,” they said in the statement.

[Financial, health and mental capacities of the students did not become the primary priorities, and the biggest sector in the university continue to be ignored.]

Students from the “white colleges” or the health sciences colleges also expressed their disdain towards the decision. Organizations, batches, and the UP Pharmaceutical Association Student Council denounced the decision in a unity statement urging the College of Pharmacy administration to heed the call of its constituents.

“Education is a right that should not be denied to anyone regardless of socioeconomic status. If UP is truly a university for the poor, are those who will not able to “catch up” based on alternative standards to be set in response to this pandemic merely collateral damage for the excellence of others? If UPM is truly a campus that prioritizes holistic health, why can’t we forgo the notion that the ultimate goal of education is a quantifiable output?” said the unity statement.

The UP Manila College of Nursing Student Council (UPM NSC) described the BOR decision as “undemocratic and does not truly heed the calls of the students, faculty, and staff.”

“Without mass promotion, the students cannot be genuinely relieved of the anxiety regarding their academic fate amidst the pandemic. They are already under great stress from the absence of mass testing and the lack of clear and comprehensive action from the national government. Also, this is a time for everyone to prioritize the prevention of infection, not the completion of requirements,” said the UPM NSC.

Students took to social media in expressing their outrage, with some even editing pictures of themselves wearing the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) toga. ADMU earlier released a decision to pass all their students and issue refunds, this becoming the peg that many students wanted their own schools to follow.

Some professors also took the initiative to pass their students even before the BOR decision.

As of this writing, only the Department of Speech Pathology, and the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Allied Medical Professions have adopted the policy of mass promotion for students taking their courses in UP Manila.

According to a post by the UP Office of the Student Regent, final guidelines for academic requirements will be given on or before Monday, April 20.