Damage control

UP Manila officials, particularly the Chancellor and his Vice, are on the defensive, taking every opportunity to explain, defuse and do damage control brought about by the suicide of one of it students. The apparent cause of the suicide was the inability to continue her studies, as she was forced to take a leave of absence, because of her inability to settle the balance of a student loan for a previous semester. In other words, she didn't have money for education. Of course, everyone knows that the University of the Philippines is the country's state university, where tuition is subsidized by the government. Furthermore, tuition at UP is socially structured, depending on one's income bracket, or the lack thereof. Kristel was bracketed one class above the poorest, which made her ineligible for a full scholarship. Her family wasn't poor enough, it seems.

Officials have held press conferences and given interviews, adamantly stating that it is not the intention of the university to become a hindrance to one's education. And that they were merely following university policies and procedures, in place to prevent chaos. They are not cold-hearted and ruthless, exclaim the officials, amidst calls by the faculty and staff of the Department of Behavioral Science along with the student body for them to resign. They add that they did everything to help Kristel, extending her loan deadline 79 times. Kristel Tejada's case, according to the officials, was an isolated, unfortunate case. Damage control indeed. Well and good but…..

It has been revealed in an interview that the school already approved reforms that will address the financial needs and problems of students with regards to their tuition, and that no student will be prevented from furthering their education. Then why was Kristel Tejada's appeal denied, triggering events that sadly led to her suicide? If reforms were already approved, why wait to implement them right away? Since Kristel was given extensions 79 times, so they say, wasn't it obvious that she needed financial help? The statement that the officials did not know the extent of her needs is appalling! These officials had the power to help Kristel, but were bound by rules, that were undergoing reforms! What was wrong with giving the 80th extension? One too many, with reforms already approved? Really? Oh, and saying that this is an isolated incident, then how many suicides will it take to make it significant? Isn't the death of one promising student, who has already been accepted into the University of the Philippines, but was an unfortunate victim of bureaucracy and red tape, one too many? To say that the death of Kristel Tejada has brought on a tempest within the UP system is an understatement. UP's vaunted socially-structured tuition scheme is now under embarrassing scrutiny! Damage control may already futile.

I couldn't help but notice something on the main page of the ABS-CBN News website. Photos of significant news items are scrolled on the top portion of the webpage. A picture of Blesilda Tejada, Kristel's mother, is shown standing beside her daughter's coffin while covering her face as she breaks down. The next photo shows Philippine Military Academy cadets tossing their hats into the air, in extreme jubilation as they graduate from the academy. Both UP and the PMA are institutions subsidized by the government. But at the PMA, everything is 100% free - from the tuition, to board and lodging, to the uniforms and everything needed for their studies and training to become soldiers or policemen of the Republic of the Philippines. On the other hand, UP has a socially structured scheme for tuition and tuition alone. You still have to spend for your food, your books, your transportation to and from school and whatever else is needed to become nurses, engineers, accountants, scientists, businessmen, teachers, artists and the required education to continue on to becoming doctors and lawyers.

I guess we know where the priority of the government lies.