ADVOCACY

Many people have been hesitant to share their sides being afraid of the fact that others might disagree, however, this advocacy would give us enough details, serve as an eye-opener, and an awareness to all of us.

University of the Philippines is a public state university guaranteed for higher learning that offers academic and training programs, it has different branches located in different cities and regions in the Philippines.

UP Bourgeoisie Issue has been going around since the last UPCAT entrance examination way back June 2023 up until now. It is also known as The Up Burgis Issue, a slang word that’s been spread by the use of social media. This issue is very common to Filipino people especially students and professors, a debatable topic that has different opinions and perspectives. Some stated that UP is a famous state university as some students or known people in the upper-class received their diploma and graduated from this university, that's why a lot of students are aiming and trying to pass the entrance examination hoping to get a full scholarship. 

  By looking at different statements in social media, the issue became so complicated — it became very complex. To give a full understanding of the said issue, here's some of the perspectives; Some students believed that the upper-class students must not squeeze themselves in the state university including University of the Philippines as they can afford to study in private schools and pay full tuition fee, asking for consideration to the underprivileged students who cannot afford to pay or to study via private schools. They also stated that those burgis paid for review centers costing them about 5,000-15,000 before applying for the entrance examination, that is believed that it is unfair and injustice to the underprivileged students who cannot afford going to review centers having them the benefit of the doubt that they will not have a single chance to pass and secure their preferred course. On the other hand, students stated that it is not the fault of the upper-class or the burgis itself that they can afford to go to review centers, have resources, and full equipment before applying for the admission. They also believed that it is not their fault for being raised and born with a silver spoon because UP is not about the financial status however, it is about how smart and persevered we are to pass. 

These two sides are enough to be analyzed in order to resolve the issue. Being neutral with the fact that no one's at fault, whether it is the underprivileged or the upper- class. It is the government's fault for having a broken system in education, there's some instances where a student's percentage in the admission was guaranteed as a passing score, however, they became wait listed. Because the upper-class students afford to have a backer, a person who has the power to pay and exert effort just to secure a slot of a student. These instances caused the issue, resulting in underprivileged students who didn't pass their admission, instead, they are forced to study in private schools and pay tuition fee. It also resulted in upper-class students to debate and defend themselves because of the issue that caused more gas to the fire creating more debatable and complicated issues. 

In conclusion, UP has been aware ever since this issue has been going on, yet they stayed still and justify the system as if it is not broken. They say “Education is corrupted, it is opinionated” and it was a powerful quote and saying to give justice for the unfair system they inherited. One thing’s certain, everyone has the right to enter their preferred University and under the Legal Basis of the Philippine Educational System Section 9 “The right to receive competent instruction, relevant quality education. The right to freely choose their field of study subject to the existing curricula and continue their course up to graduation, except in cases of academic deficiency or violations of disciplinary regulations.”