Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians

ICYMI | Members of the Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians (PACT) met with Congress Representative Renee Co of KABATAAN PARTYLIST in a consultation regarding tuition fee increases.

They contributed to the discussion regarding their stances on the tuition fee increases and built unities around the demand to call for an open and public consultation regarding the increase.

They also further solidified their commitment to academic freedom and students' constitutional rights including their right to organize and right to free speech.

Finally, they resolved to further continue the fight against the expulsion threats and stand firm: EDUCATION NOT FOR SALE! WE ARE NOT FOR SALE! DEFEND ACADEMIC FREEDOM! RESIST CAMPUS REPRESSION!

ALERT:
MGA KABATAANG NANGHINGI NG PAMPUBLIKONG KONSULTASYON BAGO MAGTAAS NG TUITION, BINANTAAN NG EXPULSION
Humaharap sa banta ng expulsion ang dose-dosenang mga estudyante ng Cebu Institute of Technology matapos nilang pasimulan ang petition signing campaign sa kapwa estudyante para manawagan sa administrasyon na magsagawa muna ng public consultation na bukas sa lahat ng estudyante bago magkaroon ng pagtaas ng matrikula para sa sunod na Academic Year 2026-2027. Ang petisyon ay pinangunahan ng Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians, isang organisasyon ng mga estudyante sa pamantasan.
Pinahayag din ng mga estudyante ang pagtutol nila sa muling pagtaas ng matrikula at iba pang bayarin sa pag-aaral. Sa nakaraang taon nagtaas ng 12% ang tuition at karaniwang nasa 45,000 pesos sa kasalukuyan ang tuiton payment kada semestre.
Ayon sa administrasyon, illegal assembly raw ang ginawa ng mga estudyante na labag sa handbook, ngunit wala namang iligal sa malayang pagpahayag at pagpanawagan ng pampublikong konsultasyon. Sa katunayan, obligasyon ng Private Universities na magsagawa muna ng konsultasyon ayon sa CHED Memo no. 3, series of 2012 bago makapag-apply ng pagtaas ng tuition. Madalas pinepeke na lang ang konsultasyon o ginagawang pribado para mabilis lumusot ang pagtaas ng tuition.
Kinukundena ng Kabataan Partylist ang pagbabanta na ito sa mga estudyante. Paglabag ito sa Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Ordinance ng Cebu City at sa 1987 Consitution.
Ayon sa Section 6 ng Ordinance: "the right of students to form, assist, or join organizations, alliances or federations shall not be abridged."
Samantalang sa Section 13 nakasaad na: "Students shall have the right ot freely express their views and opinions. They shall have the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government and school authorities for redress of their grievances."
Imbes na atakehin ang mga estudyante, panawagan ng Kabataan sa mga opisyal ng pamantasan na bukas na makipagdayalogo sa mga estudyante. Pakinggan natin ang hinaing ng mga ordinaryong estudyante at kanilang mga pamilya. Hindi dapat masagasaan ang batayang karapatan para lang pilit unahin ang pagkamal ng kita. Nakikiisa tayo sa panawagan ng mga estudyante ng CIT kontra sa Tuition and Other Fee Increase (TOFI).

ALERT:
MGA KABATAANG NANGHINGI NG PAMPUBLIKONG KONSULTASYON BAGO MAGTAAS NG TUITION, BINANTAAN NG EXPULSION

Humaharap sa banta ng expulsion ang dose-dosenang mga estudyante ng Cebu Institute of Technology matapos nilang pasimulan ang petition signing campaign sa kapwa estudyante para manawagan sa administrasyon na magsagawa muna ng public consultation na bukas sa lahat ng estudyante bago magkaroon ng pagtaas ng matrikula para sa sunod na Academic Year 2026-2027. Ang petisyon ay pinangunahan ng Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians, isang organisasyon ng mga estudyante sa pamantasan.

Pinahayag din ng mga estudyante ang pagtutol nila sa muling pagtaas ng matrikula at iba pang bayarin sa pag-aaral. Sa nakaraang taon nagtaas ng 12% ang tuition at karaniwang nasa 45,000 pesos sa kasalukuyan ang tuiton payment kada semestre.

Ayon sa administrasyon, illegal assembly raw ang ginawa ng mga estudyante na labag sa handbook, ngunit wala namang iligal sa malayang pagpahayag at pagpanawagan ng pampublikong konsultasyon. Sa katunayan, obligasyon ng Private Universities na magsagawa muna ng konsultasyon ayon sa CHED Memo no. 3, series of 2012 bago makapag-apply ng pagtaas ng tuition. Madalas pinepeke na lang ang konsultasyon o ginagawang pribado para mabilis lumusot ang pagtaas ng tuition.

Kinukundena ng Kabataan Partylist ang pagbabanta na ito sa mga estudyante. Paglabag ito sa Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Ordinance ng Cebu City at sa 1987 Consitution.

Ayon sa Section 6 ng Ordinance: "the right of students to form, assist, or join organizations, alliances or federations shall not be abridged."

Samantalang sa Section 13 nakasaad na: "Students shall have the right ot freely express their views and opinions. They shall have the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government and school authorities for redress of their grievances."

Imbes na atakehin ang mga estudyante, panawagan ng Kabataan sa mga opisyal ng pamantasan na bukas na makipagdayalogo sa mga estudyante. Pakinggan natin ang hinaing ng mga ordinaryong estudyante at kanilang mga pamilya. Hindi dapat masagasaan ang batayang karapatan para lang pilit unahin ang pagkamal ng kita. Nakikiisa tayo sa panawagan ng mga estudyante ng CIT kontra sa Tuition and Other Fee Increase (TOFI).

ICYMI | Members of the Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians (PACT-CIT) joined the forum and public consultation held yesterday, February 19 at the University of the Philippines - Cebu on measures against political dynasties that several congress representatives were proposing to curb the instances of repression, fascism and corruption.

PACT-CIT was able to meet with GABRIELA Women's Congress Representative Hon. Sarah Elago as well as Kabataan Partylist Representative Hon. Renee Co and expressed their support for any and all measures that not only curb political dynasties but also as well as those that put consequences on politicians for engaging in corruption, repression and state-terror.

PACT-CIT emphasized that the repression of student activists and leaders and even the broad masses is a reflection of a worsening systemic issue that continues to perpetuate violence against innocent and peaceful activists who are campaigning for their rights and welfare.

TODAY | Members of the Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians (PACT) formally submitted their joint statement regarding the matter to the Student Success Office.

The members would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to every Technologian who felt the pain and anger of injustice at the matter. Rest assured, we will use every ounce of our power to fight justly, peacefully and respectfully our dignity and our rights - our vision of CIT where students can be free and liberated to speak their minds, their opinions without any judgement or fear.

___

JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE OF CONCERNED TECHNOLOGIANS

We the undersigned do hereby state that we did not do anything illegal or unconstitutional at campus.

To set the facts straight, PACT launched a signature campaign to demand that the administration call for a public consultation on tuition and other fee increases. We did this so that students may express their opposition freely and willingly to the administration without any form of retaliation or anxiety.

Before this, we posted an info-video regarding tuition fee increases recorded outside of the university as well as hosted an educational discussion called Pulong-Pulong hosted also outside of the university.

None of these items are illegal. None of them are banned or can be banned from universities despite their handbooks because they are constitutional rights and are affirmed and supported by local ordinances in Cebu City and other laws.

Section 9, point 7 of Education Act of 1982 states that students have: The right to free expression of opinions and suggestions, and to effective channels of communication with appropriate academic and administrative bodies of the school or institution.

We do not need to note all the laws that are involved here because in the first place, we have mentioned them in our other statements which SSO has admitted to have been following. All we want to mention is that there are clear violations to our rights as stated in Cebu City Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Ordinance and the 1987 Constitution.

The student does not shed their constitutional rights at the school gate. Our organization may not have been recognized – we were preparing requirements for it before several dozens of students were meted out with threats of expulsion – but that does not mean that we do not have our rights just because we are CIT-U students. First and foremost, we are citizens of the Philippines, a democratic nation which guarantees our rights.

We will not renounce our positions and beliefs nor will we renounce our organization. We built this organization with the vision of an accessible education, a vision of the bravery of the Technologian student body, a vision of inspiration of the Filipino fight for freedom. And we are not ready to give up that vision just yet.

⚠️ ALERT ⚠️

Several members of PACT-CIT and scores of students were issued emails from the Student Success Office (SSO) threatening expulsion/dismissal/non-readmission if they did not explain their involvement with PACT-CIT after February 16's signature campaign.

The signature campaign called to oppose the incoming tuition and other fees increase (TOFI) by clamoring for an open and public consultation where any and all students can join, are invited and can freely express their opinion.

The email was sent on February 18 through students institutional email.

Merely for clamoring against TOFI, merely for calling for a public consultation - CIT-U's SSO has now started censoring and taping shut students' voices by fear mongering tactics. Furthermore, some students are reported to have had mental breakdowns and panic attacks due to the threats.

This is a clear violation of Cebu Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Ordinance and the 1987 Constitution which stipulates our right to organize, petition and privacy.

Under Section 6 of Cebu City STRAW Ordinance, "the right of students to form, assist or join organizations, alliances or federations shall not be abridged," and furthermore "the accreditation requirements shall not unduly restrict the right of students to organize..."

Further more in Section 13, it says: "Students shall have the right ot freely express their views and opinions. They shall have the right to peaceably assembly and petition the government and school authorities for redress of their grievances."

Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution also states: "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances."

HANDS OFF STUDENT ACTIVISTS!
NO TO STUDENT REPRESSION!
DEFEND ACADEMIC FREEDOM!
DEFEND STUDENTS' CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!

TEKNOYS, YOUR VOICES MATTER

Over a hundred students signed the petition initiated by the Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians yesterday calling for a public and open consultation as regards to the tuition fee increase.

Since the end of the pandemic, universities all over the Philippines including CIT-U have been increasing tuition almost if not yearly, burdening students and their parents alike in the worsening economic crisis that followed after.

A copy petition/resolution has been submitted to the CIT-U Supreme Student Government for their consideration. Whatever the outcome, we continue to fight for our right to an accessible education - to our right to learn without any barriers, without any burden.

DARE TO ACT, MAKE AN IMPACT!

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𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀, 𝐓𝐄𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐘 | Road Accident Assistance

A tragic road accident occurred near Southbus, resulting in serious injuries to Jandel Emmanuel Casquijo, a BMMA 2 student from the CASE Department. He is currently receiving medical care at Eversley Childs Sanitarium for a fractured hand and other related injuries sustained during the incident.

In light of this unfortunate situation, we humbly ask for your kind hearts and support in any form. Any amount of assistance will go a long way in helping cover medical expenses and aid in his recovery during this difficult time.

Monetary donations may be sent through any bank QR code, as provided below.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

HAPPY VALENTINES, TEKNOYS!

This season of love, let us love ourselves, our education and our student community by speaking out and calling: NO TO TUITION AND OTHER FEE INCREASES! DEMAND A PUBLIC CONSULTATION NOW!

TEKNOYS DESERVE TO BE HEARD: CALL FOR A PUBLIC CONSULTATION TOO!

Yesterday, February 12, the administration officially sent a letter addressed to the Supreme Student Government (SSG-CIT-U) in light of a consultation as regards to possible fees increase. SSG-CIT-U has, before this, launched a survey to gather the students grievances, weal and woe in light of last year’s tuition fee increase.

The Progressive Alliance of Concerned Technologians (PACT-CIT-U) welcomes the SSG-CIT-U’s effort to know and inquire into the real conditions of the Technologian student body to be well equipped in fighting against a tuition fee increase and their commitment to justly standing up for students' rights and welfare.

It is only just for the students to demand a public and open consultation regarding the tuition and other fees increase especially as they are paying for these increases on top of slow wifi, overcrowded library and a buggy enrollment system (WITS). It is the least that students who are overworked and academically overwhelmed deserve.

The Cebu City Students Rights and Welfare Ordinance or Cebu City STRAW Ordinance clearly affirms the students right to a fair public and open consultation in regards to tuition fee increases, a consultation where students alongside their student council can have an open discussion regarding the increase.

“No increase in tuition or other school fees shall be allowed unless:

..b. At least one (1) public meeting was held where students, the council of leaders and the student council or student government has an open discussion with the school administration as regards the proposed increase.”

Many are struggling with mental health and financial issues over their education which contributes to the extremely high attrition rate in Central Visayas. According to statistics from the Education Commission II, 6 out of 10 students are prone to dropping out of university in Central Visayas.

We also point out that redundant, exorbitant and dubious miscellaneous fees exist. The Special Education/Development Fee (Php662.55) which, according to an SSG-CIT-U post in 2023, is used for the development of facilities and accreditation, the Energy Fee (Php650) for electricity and the Registration Fee (Php1017.55) which should have already been covered by tuition fees per se are all examples of this.

PACT-CIT-U calls on the student body: DEMAND AN OPEN AND PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON TUITION AND OTHER FEE INCREASES (TOFI)! USE YOUR VOICE TO SAY NO TO TOFI!

𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃-𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝐒𝐒𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

Good evening, Technologians!

The Supreme Student Government has officially received an invitation from the Office of the President regarding the upcoming Consultative Meeting on the University's intention to increase Tuition and Other School Fees (TOFI) for School Year 2026-2027.

This consultation is conducted in accordance with CHED Memorandum Order No. 03, series of 2012, which mandates all Higher Education Institutions to consult with student governments and other stakeholders before implementing any fee increase.

Before we sit at the table with the University Administration on February 27, we need to know your thoughts, concerns, and sentiments.

𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬’ 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲

Respond to the survey via the link below:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/HyxmHTCkfK
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/HyxmHTCkfK
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/HyxmHTCkfK

We will keep the student body updated every step of the way. Transparency and student welfare remain our highest priorities.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.

WE REMEMBER YOU, JAMES ORBE, TECHNOLOGIAN MARTIAL LAW MARTYR

James Orbe, born in 1950, went to Cebu Institute of Technology - University in 1966. Here, he was first introduced to student activism where he participated in a students' strike calling for the abolition of pre-board examinations and increases in tuition fee due to the commercialization of education.

He would give talks about social issues in small group discussions and big student forums, as a member of the Kabataang Makabayan and the Consolidation for Reforms of the Youth (CRY).

In 1970, the First Quarter Storm, a series of weekly protests, erupted and Cebu's Year of Protests staged monthly demonstrations of thousands of students and urban poor to demand their rights and welfare. James Orbe, a Teknoy, was at the forefront of these struggles and was unfazed by the repression and violence of the government, even at the death of Ramon Doong, another Teknoy, by the hands of CIT security guards.

After his student days, he returned to Iligan to work with farmers and Moro communities. And when the writ of habeas corpus was suspended and Martial Law was declared, he fled to Isabela in Northern Luzon to join the resistance against the dictatorship.

He ran literacy programs for peasants who couldn't read, defended poor communities from militarization and empowered barriofolk by organizing them to resist Martial Law.

In February 1974 , he was killed during a raid by the Philippine Constabulary in the community where he and his comrades were. They had all raised their arms in surrender but were shot down anyway.

We remember Martial Law for its violence and unjust killings, torture and arrests of legal activists which drove them to the underground resistance. And as we refuse to forget the injustice and violence of the era, we reflect on our time today and hoist the banner: NEVER AGAIN, NEVER FORGET!

JOIN THE PACT!

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