LMK-Iligan to launch Youth Assembly

Youth leaders form different LMK Chapters around Iligan City plan out the upcoming LMK-Iligan General Assembly. 

Iligan City- About 130 youth participants will gather at Lim Beach in Barangay Santa Felomina this coming November 5-6, 2016 for an annual LMK-Iligan General Assembly. The participants will come from 17 barangays and 2 schools representing 22 LMK chapters in the city.

There will also be at least 8 youth observers coming from different youth organizations from the City and LMK formations from Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao del Norte, Marawi City and Davao City who will join the event.

During the general assembly, there will be discussion on the global crisis, national and youth situation, the issues confronting the basic sectors in Iligan City, and the history of youth movement in the Philippines and the challenges in the 21st Century.

The General Assembly aims at strengthening the city-wide structure of LMK in Iligan by charting the direction of the organization based in the present context of the area, electing new leaders who will steer the organization for the next coming year, building solidarity among the different area of struggles of tri-people youth, and bringing back the vibrant and active movement of the youth in the city. 

It also aims at boosting the potential of the youth by channeling their creativity, energy, and daring spirit into proper venue to affect positive change in the society. 

Position Paper of Various Student Organizations in MSU-Marawi Campus Regarding the MSU-System Charter Change

INCLUSION OF MECHANISM FOR STUDENT PARTICIPATION AND TRANSPARENCY CLAUSE IN THE PROPOSED CHANGES

IN MSU SYSTEM CHARTER

(Position Paper formally submitted during the consultation on HB____ otherwise known as An Act Strengthening the Mindanao State University System and Appropriating Funds Therefor in Dimaporo Gymnasium, MSU-Marawi Campus, Marawi City on January 29, 2015)

Over the years, Mindanao State University has been successful, as an academic institution, in producing quality graduates who have been serving as manpower of growth not just in the region but in the entire country. With students coming from different regions of Mindanao whose backgrounds are socially and culturally diverse, MSU has been a haven for cultural integration, thus recognized as “melting pot of the south”.

With so much changes and development since its creation, there is indeed a need to enhance its more than 60 year-old charter to make it more responsive to the present condition, needs and demands of the society and of its constituents.

As we support this endeavor, we as well see two important points that need to be addressed in the proposed new charter of the MSU System.

Firstly, we believe that as the majority of the constituents of this system that comprise more or less 69,000 in number, the students in each of the campus under the MSU system must have a voice in the decision-making especially on the matters related to tuition fee increase, student rules and other student welfare issues.

As per experience in this Campus, the previous tuition fee increase and the removal of tuition privilege (TP) for students who have good academic performance did not undergo a proper consultation. It is important to note that majority of population of the students in this campus is coming from the poor section of the society. That is why they chose this university because it does not only offer quality education but also affordable tuition fee. As such, any increase in the tuition fee may jeopardize or worse, deny the students of their chance for education and defeat the social responsibility of the university which is stated in Section 8 of the proposed charter.

While the proposed charter emphasized the role of the student council, it is a fact that student body organizations have only limited power and therefore inadequate to participate in the actual decision-making. Thus, we suggest that the proposed charter should add, in the Section 9 Democratic Access, “Consultation as mechanism for democratic participation of students on matters pertaining to their welfare and interests. Any decision contrary to this process will be rendered invalid.”

Secondly, in the exercise of its functions as democratic institution, MSU has to be transparent and accountable to all its actions and decisions. There must be a mechanism for easier access on the decisions, project engagements and monetary collections of the university. This way, the university will establish a transparent relationship with its stakeholders.

Moreso, the unresolved criminal cases involving students and faculty members inside the MSU Marawi campus actually question the accountability of the university itself. Hence, issues of this kind have to be immediately addressed.

We, therefore, suggest that there must be a separate section pertaining transparency and accountability in the proposed charter which would address the above-mentioned issues.

To the men and women in congress, we ask your serious consideration of this position paper in the crafting of the proposed changes in charter of the MSU-System.  As students, we view ourselves as active contributors to the development process and success of the Mindanao State University.   

Signed:

Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan-MSU Chapter

Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Panlipunang Agham at Humanidades (SAMAPAH)

College of Agriculture Student Society (CASS)

Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Filipino (SAMAFIL)

 ______________________________

This document is a result of consultations among students and student leaders in the Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus. 

STATEMENT ON the 116th Anniversary of Philippine Independence (LMK-MSU)

Greeting of JUSTPeace and Solidarity!

The Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan Marawi Chapter alongside other youth’s organization and movements all over Philippines commemorate the 116th Independence Day. Yet instead of joining the mainstream’s festive and extravagant celebration of today’s event, we are collective with the progressive movement’s call together the majority oppressed masses’ claim to seize and rekindle the true spirit of emancipation.

We are not a fully Independent nation- as no third world state is independent. Philippines has remained a puppet in a chain by the Imperialist US wherein the accumulation of economy, politics and military power are controlled and capitalized by Uncle Sam. Filipinos continue to stay at the periphery of human life. Filipinos are still part of international labor force exporting raw materials to other countries with minimum tariff, exploiting the natural resources by the persistent operation Multinational and transnational corporation, the prevalent commercialization and privatization of all social services (health, education, power, etc.), the continues operation of military intervention of US troops that lead to the formation of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that will aggravate the monopolization of US imperialist and will at stake the national security. The kind of capitalist democracy in the Philippine will always linger the backward development and to reverberate the light of continuing widespread marginalization, privatization, commercialization, bad governance, socioeconomic inequalities and injustices.

These harsh realities continue to unfold and persist in the administration of Aquino. The moral eclipse of the political system had brought the worsening situation of the Philippine government that added on the political patronage activity of the trapo’s. The continuing issue of budget cut and tuition fee increase under Pnoy and CHED in the public education is indication of abandonment and injustices of the Filipino youth. The government funding for public education at all levels has declined and in some cases plummeted, leaving students suffering in overcrowded classrooms, schools in dilapidated buildings. This is the result of ugly mechanisms that fuel capitalism in its onward quest to fall us all into a state of uttered barbarism.

We, therefore condemn this latent and manifesting bastardization at the expense of the Filipinos. We resent the policy to increase tuition and other fees as well as the budget cut in the state universities and colleges. We demand for transparency and accountability of the government! We demand for urgent action in the pork barrel scam and all forms of corruption! We demand to go out the US troops and all forms of imperialism. We demand for a better and just working condition for many graduates are prey victims of unemployment and underemployment. We are in one heart with other sectors in for the society which seek for affirmative response of their issues. We demand genuine respect of democracy! We demand true freedom!

KABATAAN! LUMABAN! MANINDIGAN! KUMILOS!

Liga ng Makabangong Kabataan (LMK) Marawi Chapter

LMK marches against corruption

June 12, 2014 the 116th anniversary of our independence --- our freedom from the colonizers. But in these 116 years, have we ever felt free or independent? FREEDOM is supposed to mean that we are free to do what we want (given that we also do not trample the freedom of others) and to be what we want. That is why we have the government on the first place, to ensure that each of us is provided the necessary things that makes us free. We gave them power to do that. But what is happening now is just the opposite. Scams and Corruption instead of education, internal political quarrels and continuous blaming within the city hall instead of housing for the typhoon victims. Politicking instead of ensuring the welfare of the workers. Due to unreasonable poverty we are not free even to live properly, an 8-hour labor for 60 pesos now where is the justice in that?

The Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan voices out the longstanding ills of those in authority and calls for change. This morning the LMK together with other groups marched on the center of Iligan for their cause. This afternoon in the Iligan Post Office at 2:30 pm a rally will be made and this time WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!