Kapekonomiya:
Probing the UP Land Use was a very relevant and timely discussion about an
issue the state university is currently facing: the privatization and
commercialization of UP. Professors Ruperto Alonzo and Judy Taguiwalo, along
with prominent student-leaders from the Diliman campus were invited to share
their opinions and stands and express their concerns regarding the matter at
hand. From their speeches, I was able to gain several insights and ascertain my
stand on the issue.
Professor
Alonzo’s discussion was entitled, “Harnessing UP’s Assets To Serve UP
Objectives.” He mentioned that private sector participation is nothing new for
the university and is actually beneficial. In fact, public-private partnership
would enable UP to focus on its core mission, which is the pursuit of academic
objectives and the pursuit of excellence. Back then, many could attest to the
numerous inefficiencies in UP-run activities such as its food service, printing
office, security, and the PCED hostel; but ever since UP has allowed private
sector participation, the UP community has been able to enjoy more variety and
better service. With the arguments he raised, Professor Alonzo seems to be
supportive of the privatization of UP, explaining that it is favorable to the
UP community.
Following
Professor Alonzo’s speech was Professor Taguiwalo’s, which was entitled, “UP
Diliman Land Use Plan: A Blueprint for the Further Erosion of the Public
Character of UP.” The title alone says a
lot about her stand on the matter—that privatization and commercialization
diminishes the university’s public character. Given that it is owned and run by
the government, UP is and must remain as a public university. With the recent
developments just outside the Diliman campus, namely the UP-Ayala Land
TechnoHub and the UP Town Center, as examples, Professor Taguiwalo
sarcastically called UP the Ayala University of the Philippines. Furthermore,
she let the audience ponder on why public universities are being privatized,
then answered by saying that the usual reason given is that the government does
not have enough money to sufficiently fund social services, including public
universities. This reason, in my opinion, is unacceptable. The recent PDAF scam
and the proliferation corruption within the government prove that it does have
money; the problem is that the country’s money is given to the wrong hands or is
spent inappropriately. To conclude, Professor Taguiwalo by said that because of
the privatization and commercialization of UP, “ang serbisyo ay nagiging
negosyo.”
After
Professor Alonzo’s and Taguiwalo’s speeches, student-leaders Alex Castro, Darrell Magsambong, and Christa each gave their reactions to the arguments
presented. With obvious frustration, Ms. Castro revealed that UPIS was asked to
leave their location in order for UP Town Center to be built and that Ayala
Land compensated for this by offering 220 million pesos for the construction of
a new building for UPIS. She said that the money offered was not enough to
cover the building expenses. Knowing this, I understood why Ms. Castro was very
much opposed to the idea. I could not help but wonder why UP would allow UPIS
to be removed and replaced with some kind of mall or recreation center that
does not seem to promote academic growth in any way, the same goes with the
UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub. She also mentioned five safeguards regarding establishments
to be developed on UP property: They must (1) be allotted for academic purpose,
(2) involve student consultation, (3) not be used as a substitute for state
subsidy, (4) be environmentally sound, and (5) have transparency and
accountability with regards to its funds. She claimed that none of these—or at
least not all of them—were met when the two aforementioned establishments were
built. Ms. Castro’s points were reiterated by the next two speakers. They
mentioned that although selling UP properties to private companies were
income-generating, they were only one-time deals. Once they are sold, UP loses
control over them. “In the end,” as stated by Mr. Magsambong, “Sino ang
makikinabang?”
Before
coming to this forum and listening to the opinions and sides of the speakers, I
was not aware that the public-private partnership was a heated topic among the
UP community. There are people in favor of it; however, most of the speakers
during this forum have raised reasonable points on why we should be against the
idea. For me, public-private partnership indeed has its own advantages and is,
to some degree, beneficial to the UP community. For one, having commercial
establishments around the campus provides a variety of leisure activities and
food choices for students, faculty members and staff. But I have learned from
Professor Taguiwalo and three of our student-leaders that because of privatization and
commercialization, UP’s goal of nurturing learning is gradually being replaced
with generating income. This should not be the case, especially being the
nation’s premier university, known for the excellent quality of education it
provides to its students. As Iskolar ng Bayan,
UP students, including myself, are to make decisions not for the sole
benefit of our own career paths, rather our ultimate goal must be to be of
service to our countrymen. In all its future endeavors, UP, along with everyone
in the UP community, must always consider its mission, which is perfectly
summed up in a quote by Ms. Alex Castro, “It is not UP’s goal to facilitate
earning, but to promulgate learning.”
