Students from the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman in Quezon City called for a youth strike to hold the Duterte regime accountable for its criminal negligence. Around 400 students converged in front of ADMU last November 17 to demand the regime to address the crisis caused by calamities and pandemic. They also protested last November 20. The mobilizations were led by Kabataan Partylist and the National Union of Students of the Philippines. Similar protest actions were mounted in Bulacan and Cebu.

Youth groups successively issued their declaration of resistance following the call of ADMU student leaders to withhold the submission of school requirements until Rodrigo Duterte is ousted. This was followed by statements from students demanding an academic break or temporary suspension of online classes. The UP Diliman faculty also demands early end of semester. They all agree that it is not just to resume classes and burden students with heavy requirements amid calamities and absence of adequate internet service.

The demands of students aim to give them time to recover especially those in areas battered by recent typhoons. Only four universities implemented a weeklong academic break. The Commission on Higher Education rejected calls for a national academic break. The representative of Kabataan Partylist already filed a resolution to provide a framework for the nationwide suspension of classes.