LEGARDA JOINS PUP STUDENTS' CALL AGAINST
ROXAS 'POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM'

NP-NPC-LDP vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda joined the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) community led by its student regent Donna Pascual in criticizing Mar Roxas for claiming the credit for the PUP Board of Regents' decision to reject the tuition fee hike.

Last month, the PUP Board of Regents rejected the school administration's proposed 17-fold increase in tuition and miscellaneous fee rates from P12 to P200 per unit.

In a press release, Roxas claimed it was through his motion that the decision was reached. (See http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2010/0330_roxas1.asp)

Student regent Pascual issued a strong statement opposing Roxas' claim: "The motion signed and approved by the PUP Board of Regents was clearly a product of series of dialogues held between the students, CHED and the PUP administration. It was not through the messianic efforts of any one personality. It was not through any "intervention" that was not even a direct result of student protests and actions."

She added, "political opportunists choose to disregard the significance of students' assertion and collective action and opt instead to claim credit for themselves. This is understandable considering the traditional politicking and grandstanding during election season, but we take offense in the blatant entitling of responsibility for our victory while ironically ostracizing the very actions that had led to our success in the first place. It becomes furthermore insulting when no statement or any gesture of support has been heard from their end in the duration of the fight."

Kabataan Partylist led by Raymond Palatino also joined PUP's appeal to candidates "not to fabricate heroics at the expense of students. We would rather that they join and support students instead in the fight for the right to education."