Chalk protest opens classes at UP Cebu

The League of Filipino Students has welcomed the opening of classes in the University of the Philippines in the Visayas Cebu College with an unconventional form of protest - the chalk protest.

The group said that the activity was a back-to-school protest, which denounces President Arroyo's policies that abandon her responsibility of prioritizing education.

UPVCC Student Council chairperson and LFS member Karlo Mongaya said yesterday that they are condemning the tuition fee increases in different universities, especially that of the state universities, and the continuing deterioration of the facilities.

Mongaya said that despite the President's promises before the classes opened that tuition fees are not going to increase, various colleges in the UP System have increased their tuition.

The SC chairperson cited the UP College of Medicine in Manila that increased its tuition fee from P11,000 to P20,000 per semester. The Pampanga College's Masters Programs has also increased its tuition fee from P500 to P1,500 per unit.

The protest started with the members of the group writing their pleas on the grounds of UP. The group encouraged everyone to participate on what they called "the creative type of protest". Later in the afternoon, they also held group discussions to inform the students of the tuition fee increases through a "tambayan hopping". - Noreen B. Napoles