More than 200 delegates from 50 different universities and colleges all over Luzon on September 12 to 15 gathered to forge unities and collective actions, as well as exchange ideas, learn from each other and collectively decide on matters affecting the studentry, youth and the nation.

“Dap-ayan 2014: 6th Luzonwide Student Leaders Congress and Student Trustees and Regents Federation Luzon Convention”, as the event was called was organized by the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and held in NSCC Plaza Hotel in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

Dap-ayan is a Filipino term that means “gathering of leaders to resolve issues and formulate solutions.”

NUSP Vice President for Luzon and Dap-ayan 2014 head John Clifford Sibayan said that the event aimed to consolidate the student councils and student governments all over Luzon especially in these times of crises — dwindling education budgets, heightened corruption via the pork barrel system and BS Aquino’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), and a host of other anti-people policies and programs.

Illustrious history

Sibayan gave the NUSP History and Orientation that showcased the history, experiences, principles, line works and campaigns of the student union.

Established in 1957, NUSP effectively promoted and protected the democratic rights and welfare of the students, youth and the people. NUSP is touted as the “National Student Center” for its progressive and militant campaigns for the education and student sector.

NUSP created the Tuition Monitor Network that opposed the incessant tuition and other school fees increases, the illegal development fee, and other exorbitant, dubious and redundant fees. Cases of campus repression and fascism are also at the center of NUSP’s democratic rights campaign.

The student union also co-convened the Youth Act Now for Truth and Accountability (the only youth formation for the abolition of the pork barrel system), the Rise for Education Alliance, and other major student and youth formations.

Education Committee Officer Catherine Manangan enjoined the audience in the Life of Edgar Jopson or Edjop. Edjop was former National President of NUSP during the Martial Law era of the Marcoses.

The life of Edjop teaches the Filipino students and youth that leadership and service are not to be confined in the cold and hollows halls of the universities, but to integrate with the masses.

Edgar Jopson’s life and struggles signify and amplify the major role that students and youth play in societal transformation.

Integrating with the masses

Dap-ayan 2014 also held a “grassroots integration” or basic masses integration (BMI) with some marginalized sectors in Ilocos Sur.

Delegates integrated with fisherfolk, farmers, and black sand miners to be able to know the issues, lives and struggles of the basic masses. Classroom discussion topics included situationers on human rights, Yolanda and disaster management, LGBTQI, farmers and agrarian reform, and mining.

Dap-ayan also featured a number of fora on state politics and economics.

Former Kabataan Rep. and now Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-National Capital Region Spokesperson Raymond Palatino and Ibon Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa engaged the delegates in a consciousness-raising talk on the Philippine economic and political situation.

From the standard issues of everyday Philippine life to remote yet collective struggles of the Filipino masses, Palatino, who is also former NUSP national president, as well as Africa, offered not only a survey but analyses of the problems and issues hounding the people and the nation.

Monet Silvestre, spokesperson of the Abolish Pork! Network, and lawyer Alex Lacson, meanwhile, tackled corruption and patronage politics under the current Aquino administration, and emphasized on the youth’s role in pushing for the People’s Initiative to Abolish the Pork Barrel System.

Youth’s important role

The delegates were reminded of the youth’s pivotal role in bringing forth genuine social change in the country. The resource speakers delivered fiery talks that inspired the audience to support the initiative of the Filipino people to create a law that will abolish the pork barrel system.

Sheryl Alapad, NUSP national executive vice-president, discussed the Philippine education situation, while PinoyMedia Center, Inc. (PMC) discussed the “role of the youth and transformative cultural and political praxis”.

PMC, which also publishes Pinoy Weekly, is official media partner of NUSP’s Dap-ayan 2014. The fifth episode of PMC’s documentary web series, Eskinita: Ang Alternatibong Ruta, titled “#ThrowbackKabataan” was launched during Dap-ayan.

(Watch Eskinita’s fifth episode: #ThrowbackKabataan)

The said episode is about neoliberal education in the country and the student and youth movement in the Philippines.

The Luzonwide Congress of student leaders culminated in the approval of 14 plenary resolutions that include the Peoples’ Initiative to Abolish the Pork Barrel System, the fight against the illegal development fee, and the support for education practice teachers.

NUSP also launched the Dap-ayan Gawad Edgar Jopson (Gawad Edjop) for exemplary student leadership. Gawad Edjop recognized the outstanding principled student council projects, activities, privilege speeches and house resolutions.

Additionally, to consolidate issues and actions related to education employees in state universities and colleges and private higher education institutions, around 20 student council advisers and student affairs directors attended the event and formed the Luzon Chapter of the All SUCs Alliance and the All PHEIs Alliance.

NUSP will be holding this November Katipunan 2014: Mindanao-wide Student Leaders Congress and this December STARFED: Student Trustees and Regents Federation Congress.