Student councils call for ‘pro-student’ policies amid 6.9 earthquake aftermath

Student councils from several universities and colleges in Cebu City demanded reconsideration of policies that prioritize student welfare and recovery following the recent magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the province.

In a dialogue with the city government and university administrations on October 9 at the City Hall, members from various student councils raised concerns about the post-disaster response of schools, which had forced students to resume classes and midterm exams.

Jandyl Jess Guia, council governor of the Cebu Normal University College of Culture, Arts, and Sports (CNU CCAS), said in an exclusive interview with Explained PH that the meeting lasted only 30 minutes.

“It was cut short due to time constraints with the schedule of the mayor, and there is only approximately 10 minutes gi-allot for students to speak,” Guia said. 

“Wala gyod na-express ang tanang concerns sa students. Unta dili lang diri muhunong ang atoang pag-lobby sa mga concerns sa students ani nga meeting,” he added.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines-Cebu University Student Council (UPC USC) councilor TJ Rapisora said the dialogue was too short to fully address many concerns of the students amid the post-earthquake recovery.

“Dili enough ang nahitabo nga consultation [and] meeting with the university administrations. It’s very sad pod nga our concerns are reduced only to informal meetings and dili siya binding nga mga resolutions moving forward,” Rapisora said.

“The gaps in student representation and pagdungog sa mga students in these times kay dili siya ma-solve in just one conversation, so kailangan jod nato nga mo-continue og assert sa atoang rights as students,” he added.

Rapisora further called upon the students to speak out against the repressive policies of their respective schools.

“Even after now, universities can opt for pro-student policies, or they can also just keep the status quo. The challenge now is to mobilize more students to expose these repressive frameworks nga dili ma-consider ang mga students sa ing-ani nga mga dagko unta nga mga decisions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Nestor Archival affirmed his commitment to ensuring the safety of the school facilities and the well-being of the academic community.

“Most school buildings have been assessed and found safe, bisan pa man ang uban nag-atubang og minor non-structural concerns. We are also prioritizing mental health support para sa mga estudyante ug staff,” he wrote in his Facebook post.

The city mayor added that schools will return to face-to-face classes in phases once safety clearances are finalized.

Student leaders from the University of San Carlos (USC), Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U), University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), Southwestern University (SWU), Velez College, University of Cebu (UC), and Cebu Eastern College (CEC) also participated in the dialogue.