This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 11, April 24-30, 2005
LOA Campaign Reaches 51% "You can make a businessman
out of an engineer but a businessman cannot be an engineer," he said. © 2004 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Mapua or Malayan?
Students say No to Change of Name
What's in a name? For students of Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), it is a
sacred legacy that must be upheld. At the same time, many of them believe that
retaining MIT’s name is also a protest against the intrusion of big business to
education.
BY RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat
Fifty-one percent of students from the
Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) in Intramuros, Manila filed notice for leave
of absence (LOA) for this summer term to dramatize their demand to retain the
name of the school. During a rally on April 20, they reiterated their protest
against the plan to change the institute's name to Malayan Colleges.
The protesting students wore black shirts with words that read, "Mapuan
forever," "Graduating class ako ng Mapua," (I belong to the graduating class of
Mapua) and "Astig maging Mapuan," (It's cool to be a Mapuan). They also chanted
"Malayan: Wala 'yan!" (Malayan: That's nothing!)
Although the atmosphere was festive, complete with yellow and red balloons and a
car show, their struggle was no joke. Their campaign is now on its third month.
The February 14 protest marked the peak, gathering more than 10,000 students.
In an interview with Bulatlat, Armando Cristobal, spokesperson of United
Mapuans (UM) revealed their LOA campaign was successful. Cristobal said that in
the previous summer terms, enrolment rate stood
at 100 percent.
The Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) bought the MIT from the Mapua family in
1999. It was built in 1925 by the first Filipino architect Don Tomas Mapua.
The Yuchengcos own the Malayan Insurance
Company and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, among other business firms.
Low quality
Cristobal said that since the Yuchengcos gained control of the MIT, its passing
rate in all engineering courses suffered a sharp decline. He cited the all-time
low 17 percent passing rate in mechanical engineering exam.
The MIT was known as the country's premier school of engineering and
architecture in the 1970s and 1980s. Through the years, it registered more than
40 percent passing rate in licensure examinations.
High in profits
In a statement, Rizza Ramirez, National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP)
national president, attributed the alleged low quality of education in Mapua to
the four-semester scheme. She said it however secured Mapua's place in the top
1,000 corporations in the country.
By the end of 2003, nine schools including MIT were included in the list of the
Philippines' top 1,000 corporations, based on the data from the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The MIT was third, next to the National Teachers College
and consistent topnotcher Centro
Escolar University. On the other hand, it placed 218th among the
country's top 1,000 business companies, with net profits amounting to P218.70
million.
The MIT charges five times higher than the average tuition in the country, which
is now at P334.89 per unit. According to the Commission on Higher Education, the
MIT charges P1,254.64 per unit. Thus, a student with a full 15-unit load pays
P18,819.60 every semester. Since the MIT has four semesters in a school year, a
student with a 15-unit load pays P75,278.40 annually.
Carl Marc Ramota, Anak ng Bayan spokesperson said the "relentless hikes in
tuition and other fees have earned private school owners millions of profits
over the last two decades, which largely explains
why most business tycoons like Lucio Tan and the Yuchengcos are now venturing
into tertiary education."
Cristobal also complained of miscellaneous fees amounting to more than P3,000
per semester. He said they are not even presented a breakdown of these fees.
Repression
Cristobal said they also demand the revision of the Students Catalogue. He said
that the catalogue prohibits the distribution of leaflets and other printed
materials, formation of groups without permit, among others.
Cristobal, also the sports editor of the New Builder, official student
publication of the MIT, said their paper is being censored by the Office of
Student Affairs. "Kinakatay nila mga artikulo namin.." (They kill our stories)
The New Builder's issue last semester has been put on hold.
Cristobal was one of the seven students who were suspended last semester. He
was charged with illegal assembly, forming/joining clandestine groups and
harassment against the students. He said, however, that the administration
failed to present any witness to prove their allegations against him. Still
under preventive suspension, Cristobal said he is not allowed to enter the
school premises and the MIT enrolment system no longer identifies him as a
bonafide student.
Cristobal also told Bulatlat that protesters are being threatened by
school officials. He quoted John Jodilla, dean of the Institute of Mechanical
Engineering, as warning them, "Kaya kong magpabura ng tao sa mundo" Other
leaders of United Mapuans, he said, are constantly hounded by security guards.
"Parang martial law" (It's like being under martial law).
Bulatlat tried to get the side of the administration but was told no one
was available for interview. Bulatlat