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UP and its American heritage

BY Adriel Paglinaun

In 1908, the Commonwealth Legislature, with blessings from President Manuel L. Quezon, passed Act 1870 paving way for the creation of the University of the Philippines. The premier state university, first called the American University of the Philippines, started initially with a budget of P1000. The Colleges of Medicine and Surgery and Liberal Arts were constructed at Padre Faura, Manila while the College of Fine Arts were located on Hidalgo,Quiapo.

According to Sec. 1 of the 100-year-old university Charter, UP is organized as a corporation. The charter also empowers the Board of Regents (BOR) to govern the university.

1939 when the BOR, UP's highest policy making body, approved the transfer of the university from Manila to Diliman. The BOR bought the 493-hectare site in Diliman for only one peso during President Elpidio Quirino's tenure.

The Oblation, created by national artist for sculpture, Guillermo Tolentino, was inspired by the second stanza of Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios." The pedestal of the statue was formed from rocks from a river in Montalban, Rizal where Filipino guerillas and the Japanese had fierce encounters in World War II ( Feliciano 1984, 31).

"The Oblation," Tolentino said, "stands for all the unknown heroes who fell during the night." A cluster of katakalanta or wonder plant, which symbolizes the undying stream of heroism in the Filipino race, can be seen at the statue's feet.

The plan to transfer the university's main campus from Manila to Diliman was delayed when World War II broke out.

The war leveled the university. UP officials faced a gargantuan task of rebuilding the university from war shambles. Fortunately, the American government gave Filipino's a helping hand. The P12-million budget provided by the US-Philippines War Damage Commission jumpstarted a massive campus redevelopment.

First quarter of 1949 when the Oblation, the university's spirit, was transferred from Padre Faura to Diliman. This momentous event was followed by the massive construction of a new campus in Quezon City. "The Diliman campus has afforded the premier state university an expanded setting for its ever-growing task of training leaders of the country," Bienvenido Gonzales, UP's fifth president, said during the historic transfer of UP.

The UP Carillon, designed by National Artist for Architecture Juan de Jesus Nakpil, was inaugurated on August 1, 1952. The tower, which has 46 Holland made bronze- bells, was the first of its kind in Asia.

http://www.upcarillon.org/i/inside/picsthumb_tower61.jpg 		Parallelisms in UP’s history
By: Adriel Paglinawan

History merely repeats itself.

During martial law, a congressional body was created to check communists activities within the university. The Committee on Anti-Filipino Activities (CAFA), arrested several UP students and faculties for their “alleged” communist leanings.

More than three decades later, truckloads of military personnel were deployed in the campus when President Arroyo declared a state of emergency.

In 1923, the Philippine Collegian, the pioneer student publication in the country, was muzzled by UP officials. Years later, a more intense media censorship, under the Marcos dictatorship, completely silenced the Collegian.

During this tumultuous period, several Collegian editors were arrested, among them, Abraham Sarmiento and Malou Mangahas.

Student councils, fraternities and sororities were also banned by Marcos. This prohibition successfully weakened anti-government protests led by students.

Kule is silenced yet again under President Emerlinda Roman’s term. The administration’s grip on Kule’s funds effectively paralyzed the student publication for more than a year.

Student activism is one of the hallmarks of the university. UP students were known to stood at the frontlines of street demonstrations. Student activism in the university reached its pinnacle in 1971 when students barricaded the campus and established the “Diliman Commune.”

Salvador Lopez, the university’s 11th president, adopted the policy of “tolerance” toward student demonstrations. To prevent chaos and bloodshed in the campus, he exerted all efforts to keep the military from entering UP.

Perennial budget cuts also hound the university. In the past, UP officials have implemented measures to shore up the meager state subsidy. The Socialized Tuition Fee and Assistance Program(STFAP), which was implemented in 1989, is one of these measures.

STFAP raised UP”S tution to P300 per unit, almost the comparable to Ateneo’s P327.5/unit and La Salle’s P329/unit.

In 2004, 18 new lab fees, deemed by many as “exorbitant”, were implemented in various UP units. Two years later, the Board of Regents, again, approved three new lab fees without proper consultation with students.

During its December 15, 2006 meeting, the BOR approved a 300% tuition increase. This raised the cost of one academic unit from P300 to P1000 in the Diliman, Manila and Los Banos campuses. One academic unit in UP Baguio, Visayas and Mindanao was also raised from P200 to P600.

UP officials utilized the university’s idle assets to stem mounting budgetary constraints. The South Science and Technology Park along C.P. Garcia Ave. and the North Science and Tecnology Park are among the manifestations of the university’s thrust to commercialization.

The university also suffers from deteriorating physical facilities. The exodus of talented professors to private universities or abroad also contribute to UP’s decline.
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