Iloilo youth groups call for Nov. 17 mobilization

By Juliane Judilla

ILOILO CITY – Youth and student organizations called for a mobilization at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on Nov. 17, citing education funding shortages, inadequate facilities and concerns over corruption and national sovereignty.

At a press conference on Nov. 13 at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Iloilo City campus, student leaders urged young people to join the action in commemoration of National Students’ Day.

The groups said insufficient funding affects students’ access to classes, learning spaces and services in both public and private schools.

Kurt Calva of the UPV University Student Council said a limited budget for the UP System has contributed to competition for available course units, potentially affecting scholarships and access to student spaces and improved infrastructure.

Calva said shortages in social services funding also affect education and other fundamental rights.

“Edukasyon, karapatan, hindi pribilehiyo,” Calva stressed. (Education is a right, not a privilege.)

Danielle Borja of the UPV College of Management Student Council cited a shortage of professors and classes, saying students sometimes have to travel repeatedly between the university’s Miagao and Iloilo City campuses.

Borja also raised concerns about inadequate infrastructure and the absence of an allocated student bus transfer service for those traveling between campuses for classes.

Meriel Faith Dumapit of the West Visayas State University (WVSU) University Student Council criticized the gap between the university’s proposed PHP 5,000,000,000 budget and its PHP 2,000,000,000 allocation.

Dumapit said funding shortages have contributed to canceled major events, limited classroom availability, insufficient maintenance and a lack of facilities suitable for high heat index conditions.

Asthro Aguilar of the University of Iloilo raised concerns about limited subsidies and financial assistance for private higher education institutions.

Aguilar said students shoulder rising tuition and other fees while commodity prices remain high and wages fail to keep pace.

Aljo Benedicto of the youth environmental alliance Protektahan questioned funding for projects the group believes contribute to environmental destruction and community displacement while schools remain underfunded.

Benedicto cited the PHP 26,000,000,000 allocation for the Jalaur Multipurpose Project Phase II and questioned why large sums are available for infrastructure while education faces funding shortages.

Benedicto also criticized a reported PHP 22,000,000,000 allocation for the ASEAN Summit and raised concerns about the proposed Pax Silica initiative and possible effects on land and communities.

The group opposed the reception of U.S. President Donald Trump and urged the Marcos administration not to conceal the country’s realities ahead of the summit.

Malacañang has said the PHP 22,900,000,000 ASEAN hosting budget covers the Philippines’ yearlong chairship and related activities, not just the November gathering or Trump’s visit.

Arlie Bosque of Kabataan Partylist Panay said funding shortages at Western Visayas schools and hospitals affect students and other residents who rely on public services.

Bosque said hospitals affiliated with UP and WVSU also face budget constraints.

Bosque criticized continued funding for flood control projects amid corruption controversies and the reported PHP 22,000,000,000 in spending associated with Trump’s visit.

Bosque also recalled Kabataan Partylist’s role in pursuing the National Students’ Day measure.

Republic Act 11369, signed in 2019, recognizes Nov. 17 as National Students’ Day in acknowledgment of student activism’s contribution to Philippine democracy.

“We have a message for Presidents Marcos and Trump: We will stand idly by as you burn our future to the ground,” Bosque said.

“We will continue to struggle for a future that we deserve. Until every classroom is built. Until every student is given the chance to access genuinely free education. Until teachers are hired and paid adequately. Until our nation is no longer plundered for foreign gains. We will rise for education, against corruption, and for sovereignty. So to our fellow youth and students: See you at the capitol!” Bosque added.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) Panay also said inadequate funding affects campus journalism.

The guild said publications at state universities and colleges face delayed funding, deteriorating facilities, a lack of proper offices and cuts to institutional budgets.

For private universities, CEGP said insufficient subsidies from the Commission on Higher Education contribute to rising tuition and miscellaneous fees.

The groups said the proposed 2027 education budget fell by a reported 9%, from PHP 1,350,000,000,000 to PHP 1,220,000,000,000, equivalent to 3.95% of gross domestic product (GDP), down from 4.4% in 2026.

The Department of Budget and Management, using a different education-sector total, has reported PHP 1,326,000,000,000 for basic and higher education in the proposed 2027 budget, equivalent to 3.99% of GDP.

UNESCO cites an international education-spending benchmark of 4% to 6% of GDP and/or 15% to 20% of public expenditure.

The organizations urged students and young people to join the Nov. 17 Capitol mobilization to call for better education funding, improved student services, accountability for corruption and protection of national sovereignty.