POLICE FORCES violently dispersed the protest mounted by students in front of the Com­mis­si­on on Hig­her Educa­ti­on (CHEd) on Ma­y 30. The group condemned the Supreme Court decision which favors CHEd Me­mo No. 20.

Daryl Ba­bay­do, national president of the Col­le­ge Edi­tors’ Guild of the Phi­lip­pi­nes criticized CHEd Com­mis­sio­ner Pros­pe­ro de Ve­ra’s statement lauding the Supreme Court decision recognizing the constitutionality of CHEd Me­mo No. 20 which removes Filipino and Panitikan (Literature) from the college curriculum. Ba­bay­do said that the approval of the said memo will only worsen the commercialized and colonial orientation of the educational system in the country.

Rep. Sa­rah Ela­go of Ka­ba­taan Partylist also criticized the hypocrisy of the Duterte administration. Aside from the memo, the regime is also railroading the enactment of the man­da­tory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) in se­ni­or high scho­ol. “The two-facedness of the regime is detestable: it claims to promote “nationalism” through the implementation of man­da­tory ROTC but seeks the removal of the study of our language,” added Elago.

Meanwhile, various youth groups and teachers converged in Mendiola on June 3, coinciding with the opening of classes, to hold the US-Duterte regime accountable over the worsening state of education in the country.

“We condemn Duterte’s attacks not only on the youth’s right to education, but also on the attack on our identity, sovereignty and rights. The youth and people will again have to shoulder higher tuition and other school fees, and suffer from the continuing K-12 program and reforms such as mandatory ROTC and CHEd Me­mo­ran­dum No. 20,” said Raoul Ma­nu­el, national spokesperson of the Na­tio­nal Uni­on of Stu­dents of the Phi­lip­pi­nes.
“Through the attack on our language, the Duterte regime seeks to detach the Filipino youth from their rich history and real identity and kill critical consciousness,” said Kara Lenina Tag­gaoa of the Lea­gue of Fi­li­pi­no Stu­dents.

The Ka­ba­ta­an Partylist called on the Filipino youth to resist the attacks on education and other democratic rights.

“We must give our all to defend the nation from the onslaught of tyranny. We must defend our national language and identity from erasure, our sovereignty from foreign intervention and market dominance, and our education from further commercialization and disenfranchisement. We continue to march and safeguard our rights and future!” ended Ela­go.