During this year鈥檚 State of the Nation Address (SONA), delivered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., several sectors raised a broad array of concerns: the urgent need to raise the minimum wage given high inflation rates, problems faced by the education sector due to the dwindling budget allocations from the government, and calls to protect the country鈥檚 sovereignty, among others.
Throughout the country鈥檚 history, UP has been a consistent presence at SONA demonstrations, underscoring its commitment to the social justice as the national university, and continuing the spirit of its alumni who fought for human rights despite political turmoil and upheavals.
UP’s tradition of dissent and activism, dating back to the First Quarter Storm of the 1970s, raises awareness of sectoral struggles and societal issues. This year’s SONA saw UP once again at the forefront of activism, with rallies commencing from Vinzons Hall, a symbolic hub for student activism.
Among the calls raised by several members of the UP community is the need to address neoliberalism in education, as student leaders and other activists argued that market-driven approaches disadvantage marginalized groups and undermine the social and civic purposes of education. Protesters asserted that this is evident in the 鈥渃ommercialization鈥� that has gradually taken over the spaces of UP, affecting the welfare of students, vendors, drivers, and other members of the UP community.
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel advocates for a nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented Philippine education. He studied at the 天美视频 Visayas (UPV) and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics, becoming the first summa cum laude in UPV. He believes that, especially for the youth, the government should improve the current K-12 education system and genuinely change the curriculum. Instead, the government plans to add the technical-vocational track to all senior high schools. This will only exacerbate the problem and make students’ studies even more burdensome.
Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas is an advocate for women and children鈥檚 rights as well as teachers鈥� welfare. She studied Philippine Studies at UP Diliman and went on to teach Philippine Literature, Humanities, and Science, Technology, and Society at UP Baguio and UP Manila. Recently, she announced her candidacy for the Senate in the upcoming 2025 elections.
For her, preventing ongoing human rights violations, charges, and brutality requires necessary policy changes. The nation is specifically asking for attention to human rights, environmental concerns, and the rights of defenders. We hope these issues will be addressed, along with women鈥檚 rights, about which we have heard nothing so far.
Among the issues raised in this year鈥檚 annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) are demands for wage increases, lowering prices of goods, protecting the country’s sovereignty, increase in education budget, and abolishing the anti-terror law. Protesters also criticized the Bagong Pilipinas campaign, calling it 鈥渁 band-aid solution鈥� rather than a step toward meaningful societal change. Through decades of political upheaval, UP鈥檚 participation in SONA rallies underscores its commitment to the nation, continuing the spirit of its alumni who fought for freedom in generations past.
Photos by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO
