A U.P. Regent Expresses Surprise at the Impending Final Closure of the University Food Service

(Regent Bibeth Orteza-Siguion Reyna exits Quezon

Hall after the Dec. 17, 2010 BOR meeting. 

Photos by Chanda Shahani)

(She is handed a pamphlet containing the poem, "Fliptop"

 A 1975 U.P. Diliman graduate, Orteza-Siguion Rena 

expresses surprise at this development)

Newly-appointed U.P. Regent Bibeth Orteza-Siguion-Reyna expressed surprise at the impending closure of the University Food Service (UFS) as she exited Quezon Hall after the December 17, 2010 University of the Philippines (U.P.) Board of Regents (BOR) meeting.

She was handed a pamphlet entitled Pandayan Special Issue December 10, entitled,"Wakas at Simula" and containing a poem entitled, “Fliptop” by Mykel Andrada which said in part, “”Computerized na ang Form 5/ Ang tuition per unit ay one-five/ Inuuna ang negosyo/ Walang pakialam sa serbisyo/ Isinasara na ang UFS” (http://upissues.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/pandayan-dec-2010/).

“Is this true? She asked the Diliman Diary as we were present on that day taking pictures and interviewing. This blogger confirmed this fact to her.

According to the U.P. website (http://www.upd.edu.ph/~ovcsa/ufs/university_food_service.htm), UFS “provides food that is acceptable, nutritious, safe, wholesome and reasonably priced to its University clientele of students, faculty and administrative personnel. It is managed by professional dietitians and nutritionists.”

“Until 1993, the UFS operated six dormitory dining halls and 15 canteens in various academic and administrative buildings. In 1994, through a management decision to privatize food outlets on campus, the outlets of the UFS were awarded to private concessionaires and their supervision was transferred to the Business Concessions Office under the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs. Only three outlets were left to the UFS : its Catering Unit, Bakeshop and the Vinzons Grill.”

However,even these remaining outlets now face permanent closure by the outgoing Administration of U.P. Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Ca whose term ends on February 28, 2011.

Union members, students, and some faculty in U.P. Diliman say that it is imperative that subsidies remain for the UFS as this is part of the overall package of subsidies granted to U.P. personnel and students that is necessary for it to maximally perform its function as the national university.

However, Chancellor Cao, a professor of business administration at U.P. Diliman has been working hand-in-hand with outgoing U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman, also a professor of business administration to outsource the function of UFS to private concessionaires in order to fulfill President Roman's vision of “a more efficient university.”

Opponents of the measures to permanently close UFS down say that allowing the private sector to completely dominate the food scene at U.P. Diliman drives up overall costs for U.P. Faculty, staff and students making it even more untenable for them to make ends meet, in comparison to previous years.

(Reporting by Chanda Shahani)

Commentary: Pagpatay sa UFS Tutulan, Labanan

(Editor's note: Fresh from their 2nd protest lunch at  Quezon Hall, U.P. Diliman (Please see Diliman Diary, October 15, 2010: "Commentary: U.P. union members stage 2nd solidarity lunch at Quezon Hall in protest vs. discriminatory policies on benefits.") union members marched towars Kalayaan Residence Hall to protest the slow and relenteless squeezing by the administration of U.P. Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao of the University Food Service, in the interests of cost-cutting. We are posting the pictures from Professor Sarah Raymundo and the All U.P. Workers Union below, as well as their statement)

By All U.P. Workers Union

Hindi ibinigay ng Administrasyong Cao ang budget ng University Food Service (UFS )ngayong buwan! Walang pambili ng mga lulutuin ang UFS kaya sarado ngayon ito.

Humingi ng pakikipag-usap ang UP Diliman Student Council, ang All UP Workers Union at ang Staff Regent sa kay VC Elizabeth Enriquez para tutulan ang ginagawang panggigipit sa UFS.

Ang hindi pagbibigay ng budget sa UFS ay pinakahuling development lamang sa pakanang sarhan na ang UFS, ang natatanging kainan sa unibersidad na hindi pribado.

Bahagi ito sa pagpapatupad ng patakarang pribatisasyon at komersyalisasyon ng UP. Mahigpit na tinututulan ito ng ating unyon!!

UFS Paunlarin! Hindi Pabagsakin!

Mula sa kay Prop. Sarah Raymundo na kasama sa pagkilos na ito: October 15, 2010

Sa pamumuno ng All U.P. Workers Union, naglunsad ng protesta ang mga unyonistang kawani, mananaliksik at guro ng UP upang wakasan ang diskriminasyon sa rank and file na empleyado ng Unibersidad. Dala-dala rin ng mga unyonista ang nakaambang pagsasara ng University Food Service, ang pagkakait ng pondo rito na dudulo sa pagsasara nito. Dala ng komersalisasyon ang marketisadong relasyon ng mga miyembro ng komunidad ng UP. Kung ano ang halaga mo ayon sa merkado na siyang dinidikta ng lohika ng marketisasyon, yun din ang magiging estado mo sa unibersidad. Hindi kumikita ang UFS, pwes, isara. Serbisyo, hindi kita! Nakangangang tinitingala pa rin ng iba diyan ang paghihiwalay ng mental at manual labor-- anong petsa na, uy? hilig-hilig niyong sabihin ang mga katagang "towards the new millennium," UP in the 21st century, kuning-kuning, tapos ganyan kayo, discrimination lang di niyo matanggal sa balat niyo. ganyan ba ang liberal? naku ha. Sa hanay ng mga unyonistang kawani, reps at guro, nananatiling buhay ang sama-samang pagkilos sa gitna ng nililikhang marketisadong relasyon ng mga polisiya ng UP. Hanggang sa muli... Wakasan ang Diskrimasyon! Tantanan ang Komersyalisasyon! Ipagtanggol ang University Food Service! PS: Sa solidarity message ni Prop Rodriguez, guro ng DFPP at gurong CONTEND, ipinahayag niya ang suporta ng aming organisasyon sa mga empleyado ng University Food Service at ang aming pagtutol sa pagsasara nito. Empleyado ng UFS ang nanay ni Omeng. Ayon sa kanya, alam niya ang hirap ng magpaaral ng isang empleyado sa UP, dahil siya mismo ang produkto ng pag-aaral at ng buhay na yun. Lumaki siya kasama ang mga kapatid sa UP Campus. Ilan sa kanila nakapag-aral sa UP dahil sa paglilingkod ng kanilang ina sa UFS. Noong isang araw, matagumpay na nakapagdepensa ng disertasyon si Omeng para sa kanyang doktoradong programa. Masaya ako at ang CONTEND para kay Omeng dahil hindi lamang niya iyon personal na tagumpay. Ang kwento ni Omeng bilang akademikong makabayan ay isa sa mga paborito kong kwento ng TAGUMPAY ng pampublikong serbisyo di lamang ng UP kundi ng gobyerno. Mali ang anumang dahilan na burahin ang ganyang naratibo't posibilidad sa ating Unibersidad.

Diliman Videos of the Week (Part 1) : U.P. Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao sings "Isang Kundiman"

 (Dr. Sergio Cao being sworn into office by
U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman. Source:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cao-as-UP-President-No-Way/150686728282654?ref=ts)

Editor's note: The social networking site Facebook.com has a page entitled: "Cao as U.P. President? No Way!" (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cao-as-UP-President-No-Way/150686728282654?ref=ts) It specifically cited UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio Cao's Legacy as follows:

1. No student representation in the formulation of the Student Code of Conduct

2. Refusal to be interviewed by the Philippine Collegian

3. Did not release the Philippine Collegian's student fund, causing the first non-publication of the student paper after Martial Law

3. Denial of U.P. Diliman Sociology Professor Sarah Raymundo's appeal for tenure

4. In many cases, failure to comply with the rule that official communications should be answered within 15 calendar days

5. Flexibility in the application of UP's land use plan for favored unit: allowing Engineering to occupy two major spaces in the university: the engineering center and its present location

6. Remiss in implementing BOR policy that dean selection process shall commence three months before the end of the term of the Dean and the next Dean selected a month before the end of the term of the outgoing Dean

7. Refusal to have academic union representation in the university's academic personnel committee

8. Delayed the collection of the academic union's agency fee and membership dues.

On the other hand, the above does not represent the entire picture of Chancellor Cao, who is a nominee for the position of President of U.P. To get more details about all the nominees, please click on this link: http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/08/3_30.html and to read their curriculum vitae and position papers, please check the U.P. website at: http://www.up.edu.ph/features.php?i=221