After getting strident opposition from the youth sector, the Duterte regime’s Commission on Higher Education (CHED) itself proved the sham of the much-ballyhooed “free education” program by stating some students are far more deserving than others to receive government education subsidy.
“Duterte’s ‘free education’ is another dirty joke at the expense of the students. The youth are already much acquainted with the socialized tuition scheme where some subsidize others and the reactionary government hides its abandonment of education. Duterte’s CHED in the region itself blurts out education is a privilege and not a right,” said Fr. Santiago “Ka Sanny” Salas, National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas spokesperson.
Fr. Salas noted that aside from the free education scam, those who made it to college continue to face Duterte’s fascist tyranny through campus militarization and other attacks on students’ democratic rights. Out of fear of millions of militant youth and students calling for his ouster, Duterte is rushing anti-democratic impositions such as proposals for military presence in campuses and the conduct of school surveillance, Red-tagging, threats against campus press freedom, the revival of mandatory ROTC and the lowering of the minimum age of criminal liability.
Fr. Salas challenged the youth to persevere with their militant spirit and defy and foil the schemes of Duterte’s fascist tyranny. “Various schools, youth organizations and the whole youth and students’ sector must work together to briskly expose the free education scam, call for a nationalist, democratic, and mass-oriented education, fight against campus militarization and defend their democratic rights.”
The NDF-EV spokesperson urged the youth to join the broad spectrum of opposition to expedite the ouster of the Duterte regime. “Aside from their sectoral interests, they must fight alongside the basic masses. Only when the youth unites with the peasants, workers and other democratic classes and sectors can they achieve genuine change.”
Fr. Salas concluded, “Throughout history the Filipino youth have been at the forefront of those fighting for revolutionary change, from the Katipunan to the New People’s Army. We welcome the youth who are targeted by the fascist US-Duterte regime and all others who are of right age and want to voluntarily and truly serve the country to continue the fight on to the next level by taking up the armed struggle. Be part of the New People’s Army and the People’s Democratic Government. Valiantly fight alongside the masses toward the overthrow of the loathed regime and onward until national democracy is achieved.”#
SUMADA:
Gin-aghat yana han National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas an kabatan-unan ngan estudyante nga makigbisog para ha libre nga edukasyon ngan iba pa nga demokratiko nga katungod kontra ha pasista nga tiraniya ni Duterte. Ini kahuman magsering an regional office han Commission on Higher Education (CHED) nga an pira nga estudyante la an angay hatagan han subsidyo ha edukasyon tikang ha gubyerno ngan diri an tanan.
Sigon kan Fr. Santiago “Ka Sanny” Salas, tagapagyakan han NDF-Eastern Visayas, usa nga biro an “libre nga edukasyon” ilarum ni Duterte nga mismo an CHED an nagsering nga usa nga pribilehiyo an edukasyon. Labot hini, ginkakaatubang liwat yana han kabatan-unan an tiraniya ni Duterte pinaagi han mga pag-atake ha ira demokratiko nga katungod, nga gindadagmit niya an proposisyon para ha militarisasyon han mga eskoylahan, tarhug ha kalibrihan ha pamamahayag ha mga kampus, pagbalik han mandatory ROTC, ngan pagpamenos han minimum age of criminal liability.
Gin-ayat ni Fr Salas an kabatan-unan nga ipadayon an ira militansya ngan pakasyon an mga iskema han pasista nga tiraniya ni Duterte. Kinahanglan nira ipanawagan an libre nga edukasyon, an nasyunal, demokratiko ngan makamasa nga edukasyon, samtang nakikig-usa liwat ha oposisyon nga nananawagan nga patalsikon hi Duterte. Gin-aghat liwat niya an kabatan-unan nga aada ha tama nga edad nga naruyag magserbe ha katawhan nga umapi ha New People’s Army, ngan makigbisog upod an masa agud ibagsak ini nga rehimen tubtub ha makab-ot an nasyunal nga demokrasya.
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