Press Release
14 March 2013
DAVAO CITY – Responding to the statement of CHED Region XII Director Raul Alvarez, League of Filipino Students challenges the Commission on Higher Education not to evade its responsibility on tuition fee increase issue.
Rendell Ryan Cagula, Coordinator of the League of Filipino Students Davao City, deplores the statement of Alvarez that students are ‘barking on the wrong tree’ and should express their dissent to their respective schools.
“This only attests the inutility of CHED that should, as mandated, to regulate the collection of tuition and matriculation fees,” said Cagula.
LFS questions the new CHED Memorandum Order 3 which contains guidelines governing tuition and other fees increases.
“We question this new CMO 3, particularly provision stating the presence of the CHEDRO representative may depend upon the request of the school. The absence of any CHED Representative in the process has allowed the proliferation of ‘bogus’ consultation processes that go under the sleeves of CHED which rely solely on the documents submitted to their office,” said Cagula.
Last March 12, students from various schools in Davao City protested in front of the CHED office calling for a halt on the incessant tuition hikes.
“CHED has taken a grim role in the rising cost of education. The youth remember how CHED allowed over 200 schools to increase collection on tuition fee for the present academic year, and how this has been done unabatedly for years,” said Cagula.
Citing the report of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, for over a decade, the average tuition rate has increased over 108.35 percent from PHP 257.41 per unit in 2001 to PHP 536.31 per unit in 2012.
“CHED should take side on this issue and protect the rights the youth to accessible education. However, Alvarez’s statement speaks otherwise,” he concluded.
LFS warns the CHED for a bigger protest of the youth if CHED remains to turn deaf ears and close their doors to the growing dissent of the youth.
Reference:
RENDELL RYAN CAGULA
Coordinator
League of Filipino Students
0912-217-7512
