Pagbutlak

By: Stephanie Juntilla

In a bold stance against the looming specter of Charter Change(ChaCha) proposed by the Marcos administration, students and progressive youth groups across the country have joined forces to form coalitions against the Marcos Administration’s railroading of ChaCha.

The Movement Against Charter Change (MATCHA) Youth Alliance, Pamatan-on Against ChaCha (PACC) from Panay, and UP Against Charter Change (UPACC) are just some of the coalitions formed to rally and oppose the ongoing attempts in the Philippine Congress and Senate to amend the constitution.

Movement Against Charter Change Coalition (MATCHA) Youth Alliance, comprising student councils, campus publications, and student organizations, was launched last February 21 at the Commission of Human Rights in response to the escalating concerns over the government’s ChaCha agenda. 

Gie Rodenas, one of MATCHA’s convenors and a journalist at the Philippine Collegian, emphasized the detrimental impact of foreign ownership on education, urging Filipino youth and student organizations to join in advocating for academic freedom and resisting attempts to extend the power of the Marcos administration.

A local coalition also emerged in the name of Pamatan-on Against ChaCha (PACC), established during the Paslawon ang ChaCha: Forum and Alliance Launching of No To Charter Change Coalition Panay on February 20. As the primary avenue for youth engagement and mobilization against ChaCha in Panay, PACC unites student organizers from various schools across the region to effectively coordinate activities and campaigns within the different progressive youth groups to oppose ChaCha. Since its formation, PACC has garnered support from the youth, who have responded positively to the coalition’s call to action.

Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines (UP) Sectoral Regents, alongside representatives from various institutions, convened on February 24, at the UP Diliman, to inaugurate the UP Against Charter Change (UPACC) Coalition, a system-wide multi-sectoral alliance aimed at uniting individuals and organizations within UP against ChaCha.

The formation of UPACC, spearheaded by Student Regent Iya Trinidad, was motivated by the clear dissent within the UP Community against ChaCha, stating, “Klarong klaro ang pagtutol ng UP sa ChaCha.” 

During the assembly, UP Faculty Regent Carl Remota highlighted the ongoing education crisis, emphasizing that ChaCha fails to address critical issues such as lack of student spaces, delayed salaries, contractual employment, and threats to academic freedom and human rights.

Franz Beltran from the UP Diliman University Student Council also cautioned against amending economic provisions, fearing increased commercialization and decreased accessibility to education. He stressed that prioritizing foreign interests under ChaCha would undermine the welfare of Filipino learners and hinder the development of domestic industries.

Despite youth groups’ unified resistance and call of the masses, the House Committee of the Whole approved on final reading the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7, an economic amendment to the 1987 constitution that would remove the constitution’s limitations on foreign ownership on education, public utilities, and advertising.