As President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime comes to a close, the 52nd General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) renewed calls to protect communities against “continuous developmental aggression.”
In its sessions on Feb. 4 and 5, the student councils (SC) adopted 14 resolutions, several of which oppose the government’s “anti-poor and anti-people” policies in infrastructure development, environmental protection and public health.
A resolution authored by UP Cebu (UPC) University Student Council (USC) denounced the government’s “[nonconsensual] constructions and illegal demolitions,” which displaced various communities nationwide.
“The GASC shall continue to fight for spaces, establishments and infrastructure projects that are genuinely pro-people … [and] oppose neoliberalization, commercialization and development aggression against the people,” the resolution added.
UPC USC also protested against the looming privatization of the Carbon Public Market in Cebu in partnership with SM-Megawide Construction, which threatens over 16,000 residents and vendors. Small business owners fear that once completed, the project would charge higher tariffs and rent.
“[The] modernization of the public market under a private company can do more damage than good because the small vendors cannot afford the world class way to do things,” said the multisectoral group Carbon Alliance in a statement.
The GASC also passed a resolution opposing reclamation projects and hostile development in coastal areas, such as the New Manila International Airport in Taliptip, Bulacan and an eco-tourism hub in Brgy. Patungan, Cavite.
READ: “How do we stay at home?”: Demolitions continue to hammer urban poor amid pandemic
The resolution, filed by the UP Visayas (UPV) College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences SC and the UP Los Baños (UPLB) College of Agriculture and Food Science SC, claimed that these projects “disregard environmental and social welfare.”
Following the Bulacan aerotropolis construction, Taliptip fisherfolk saw their daily income shrink from P2,000 to P250 per catch. Scientists cautioned that the project could worsen flooding in the area.
UPLB College of Community Development Student Council (CDCSC) mentioned that residents in reclamation areas contend with intensified harassment from state forces.
On Oct. 29, 2021, 47 fisherfolk and seven children in Taliptip were brought to a military detachment in the barangay for allegedly fishing in the property of San Miguel Corporation, the contractor of the airport city. The armed guards threatened to shoot them and destroy their boats.
Six residents in Patungan were also arrested on Jan. 13 by elements of the Philippine National Police who forcibly entered and attempted to demolish homes in the coastal village. Seven people were wounded after the police opened fire.
The Patungan eco-tourism project is led by the Manila Southcoast Development Corporation (MSDC) owned by business magnate Henry Sy. Fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA claimed that the land was originally land grabbed by Maria Theresa Virata, the granddaughter of Martial Law finance minister Cesar Virata.
“Hindi dapat pinapahirapan ang mga mangingisda. Dapat maglunsad ng programang pinoprotektahan ang ating mga mamamayan … [na] ina-assert ang kanilang buhay at karapatan,” UPLB CDCSC said.
The resolution also urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to revoke Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) to corporation-backed reclamation projects. An ECC is a required clearance document for any project that could harm the environment, such as mining, agriculture and construction.
UPV USC expressed their support for the resolution, saying “science should not exist in a vacuum but should also serve the needs of the Filipino people.”
The assembly also called to uphold climate justice. The UP Mindanao (UPMin) College of Science and Mathematics SC authored a resolution denouncing the Davao City government’s plans to build a waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration facility.
Waste-to-energy facilities transform waste into toxic by-products like furans and other chemicals that can cause serious illness to communities.
READ: Waste-to-energy bills more harm than good, envi groups warn
UPMin USC urged the assembly to hold both local and national governments accountable for “prioritizing profit over the protection of the people and the environment.”
UP student councils also called on the government to invest more in disaster prevention and risk reduction in light of Typhoon Odette.
“Hanggang ngayon, ang ating mga mag-aaral, [guro] at kawani ay bumabangon pa rin mula sa mga epekto [ng] kalamidad na ito. Hindi makakabangon ang ating bayan kung laging ‘resiliency’ ang naratibong binabato sa atin,” said the UP Diliman (UPD) USC in support of the resolution.
The councils stood firm with their demands for true pro-people policies from the government instead of the government’s infrastructure push through the Build! Build! Build! (BBB) Program.
The BBB is Duterte’s “centerpiece program,” which seeks to launch the country’s “golden age of infrastructure.” The program’s six-year cost from 2016 to 2022 is a hefty P8.4 trillion.
In 2020, think-tank IBON Foundation warned that BBB projects may further degrade the country’s land, adding that 70.5% of the country’s land in 2015 is already “severely degraded.”
Instead of loading big money into infrastructure projects, the assembly called to fund better public health solutions.
The student councils slammed the Duterte administration’s “militarized and unscientific” COVID-19 response and called to defund the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to further support the health sector. Congress approved a P17 billion budget for NTF-ELCAC in 2022, already trimmed down from the P28.1 billion requested by Duterte.
READ: UP student councils call to realign intel funds to COVID response
A resolution authored by UP Manila USC decried the Department of Health’s refusal to conduct free mass testing, forcing citizens to avail of costly COVID-19 tests. They also demanded better pay for overworked healthcare workers.
The UPD School of Statistics SC hits back at the government’s lack of scientific and data-driven solutions for the pandemic.
“The Duterte regime continues to forward its self-serving interest in addressing the health crisis instead of focusing on the worsening situation of the masses,” the council added. “The burden to survive is transferred to the Filipino people.”
The assembly vowed to unite against the alliance between the parties of Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte, dictator’s son Bongbong Marcos, and former presidents Gloria Arroyo and Joseph Estrada. Their parties formed a “UniTeam alliance” in November last year to support the Marcos-Duterte ticket for the 2022 elections.
“As we enter a very important point in history, we commit to expand and maximize our unities to [defend] our rights and freedoms and to dedicate our strength to fighting for our future,” said the GASC.
