Teachers’ protest paralyzes leading Pampanga university

ANGELES CITY, Philippines – The Holy Angel University (HAU) here, reputed to be among the biggest universities north of Metro Manila, has remained paralyzed since last Aug. 15 when some 400 of its teachers and their sympathizing students stayed off their classes, opting for a rally demanding salary increases and transparency in the financial status of the university.

Holding placards seeking compliance of HAU officials with past agreements on salary hike, the teachers, belonging to the HAU Teachers and Employees Union (HAU TEU), have been camping outside the university gates, as most of their sympathizing students either stayed away from classes or joined them as sympathizers.

“My salary as a college professor is even short of P10,000 compared to the average salary of a public school teacher,” Elvira David, HAU TEA secretary, said.

David lamented the “failure” of the HAU management to be transparent on the school’s financial status amid reports from the Securities and Exchange Commission allegedly indicating that the school’s savings had ballooned from P300 million in 2003 to about P1.4 billion last year.

In a statement, the HAU said it is saddened by the decision of its 380-member union to stage a strike “despite the ongoing mediation efforts being assisted by the government’s labor department.”

“We would like to ask our students, their parents and the community at large to bear with us as we explore other ways to resolve this conflict and ensure that our services are not disrupted,” it said.