BOR to Roman: Discuss TFI policy with students

By Jose Carlos Maningat


President Emerlinda Roman is set to discuss with the student regent and some student leaders the recommendations of the policy review on the tuition increase.

This was the motion carried out by the Board of Regents in the Sept. 28 meeting held in UP Los Banos regarding the policy review presented by Student Regent Terry Ridon.

“Well, the response of the Board was the same as the way they responded in Baguio [there was] positive feedback on the policy review,” said Ridon.

Among the proposals of the policy review are the immediate suspension of the new tuition increase and STFAP policy this month and the institutionalization of a comprehensive donations system.

The policy review also recommended the “formation of a multi-sectoral University Committee to further review the internal efficiency of the university.”

Ten regents were present in the meeting, including BOR Chair Romulo Neri, who testified in the ZTE broadband deal hearing in the Senate.

Ridon said the positive response to the policy review signals a progress in the fight to junk the tuition fee increase.

“With the policy review, we are challenging the UP Administration head-on, notwithstanding of course the utter necessity of renewing a broader student movement to finally junk the TOFI,” he said.

“Insofar as our policy review is concerned, it is only a piece of paper if no warm bodies of students would stand to support it and decisively stand for the junking of the TOFI,” he added.

Regent Cynthia Villar, also House Committee on Higher and Technical Education chair, raised to the board the house resolution filed by 25 representatives seeking to review the tuition increase.

Villar insisted that the UP administration should publish a full-page notice explaining itself for implementing the tuition increase, according to Ridon.

Outside the APEC hall where the BOR met, at least 800 students wearing black and red shirts walked out from their classes and protested in support of the policy review of the student regent.

In Diliman, at least 120 students from different organizations staged a rally that snaked through the floors of Palma Hall and College of Arts and Letters new building while the BoR meet was ongoing in Los Banos. #