PUP SPEAK

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PUP SPEAK
Students' Party for Equality and Advancement of Knowledge
PredecessorPUP Alliance Resisting Repression of Students (ARREST)
FormationSeptember 8, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-09-08)
Dissolved2022
TypeSociopolitical student organization
HeadquartersCharlie del Rosario Building, Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Location
The Iskolars united, will never be defeated!
Key people
Medel "Dhel" Pulanco
(Founder)
Elijah San Fernando, CSSD
(Founding Chairperson)
Subsidiaries
Sectoral affiliates
  • Women: Women's Initiative for Sustainable Development and Freedom (WISDOM)
  • Environment: Solidarity for Environmental Education, Protection and Development Network (SEED Network)
  • Artists: PUP Artists' Guild for Excellence (PAGE)
Party flag and symbol

Students' Party for Equality and Advancement of Knowledge (SPEAK) was a non-profit student political party in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).[1] PUP SPEAK was one of the organizations that pushed for the university's "national polytechnic university" status, with an allocation of additional ₱3 billion budget annually.[2] It also launched the "academic ease" campaign, where it pushed for the implementation of measures that aimed to help students and educators to quickly adapt to distance learning, brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The campaign was supported by Education Secretary Leonor Briones. SPEAK also supports a smoke-free environment for the new normal.[4]

History and campaigns

SPEAK was formed after its predecessor, PUP Alliance Resisting Repression of Students (ARREST), successfully mounted a campaign to remove a college dean accused of corruption. Since then, the organization has focused on the issues of students' rights, women and LGBT rights, labor rights, environmental protection, anti-Marcos burial to heroes' cemetery, anti-religious discrimination, and anti-dictatorship, among many others.[5] The organization had been the ruling political party of the PUP Central Student Council from 2016 to 2021.[6] In 2017, the organization has been tagged as "[university] administration-leaning", after its founding chairman and then-incumbent PUP Central Student Council President Elijah San Fernando organized the election of the student representative to the university's board of regents.[7][8]

In 2020, SPEAK together with various organization under the leadership of Office of the Student Regent (OSR) held a benefit concert on the university oval grounds to support the mid-to-long-term rehabilitation of the communities affected by the Taal volcano eruption. The concert, which was attended by over 15,000 people, was headlined by Parokya ni Edgar, Itchyworms, Gloc-9, and Rocksteddy.[9]

In the same year, SPEAK joined in decrying the detention of its member-volunteer from the mechanical engineering department over alleged violations of the enhanced community quarantine. Joining the call to release the student were human rights lawyers Chel Diokno and Erin Tanada, who called the arrest a form of "harassment".[10][11] The Manila Police District has tagged the organization as a "rejectionist group" from the Communist Party of the Philippines divide and claimed that it was exploiting the arrest as part of its agitation-propaganda campaign against the Philippine National Police and the Duterte administration.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "Student Organizations". Polytechnic University of the Philippines. 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Embudo, Franz Lewin (October 18, 2018). "PUP pushes for 'national polytechnic status'". Manila Times. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Calls to 'ease' distance learning implementation trends on Twitter after DepEd opposes 'academic freeze'". CNN Philippines. September 11, 2020. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  4. ^ "CSOs and Government for smoke-free as the new normal". Philippine Information Agency. July 4, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Harris, Linda; Poulsen, Ron (May 29, 2017). "'We want to be part of struggles for socialism'". The Militant. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Aventurado, Neilvin (May 9, 2018). "Rodriguez takes oath as central SC President of main campus". PUP Communication Management Office. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Umil, Anne Marxze (September 29, 2017). "Martial law in PUP? - Student leaders slam administration's repression". Bulatlat. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Serafica, Raisa (September 28, 2017). "Are PUP students' rights under attack?". Rappler. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "PUP OSR, Rotary Club FBGC to hold benefit concert for the victims of Taal Volcano eruption". Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "PUP student held for alleged violation of quarantine measures cleared of charges". Manila Bulletin. April 29, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "PUP orgs call for release of student detained over 'lockdown violation'". Rappler. April 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "PUP student arrested for alleged violation of quarantine measures; student organization decries 'illegal' arrest". Manila Bulletin. April 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Protests vs PUP student's arrest 'agitation propaganda' –MPD". GMA News. April 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2021.


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