Over 400 Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students greeted the first day of classes on September 9 with a protest march at its campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The “First Day Fight” of PUP councils and organizations highlighted the issues of university funding, academic freedom, human rights, national sovereignty and other national issues.

The Marcos regime slashed ₱8.4 billion from the proposed university budget for 2025. In its submitted budget, the PUP requested ₱11.8 billion for next year but the regime only allocated ₱3.39 billion in its proposed National Expenditure Program submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress.

The PUP Student Regent Office said the slashed funds intended for the maintenance and repair of equipment, construction of facilities, and the salaries of its teachers and staff are a big loss for the university. In its protest, the PUP community expressed the need to fight for an additional budget for the university.

The PUP Central Student Council said the school year must begin with a protest for “a common goal—to enjoy quality education for all, because education is not a privilege but a right.” The PUP Budget Increase Network is also conducting a petition signature campaign.

The Alliance of Youth Journalists in PUP emphasized the continued fight against censorship and assertion of campus press freedom. The group said the College Editors Guild of the Philippines recorded 206 cases of violation of the rights of campus journalists from June 2023 to June 2024 in the country.

In addition, the groups expressed their support for the workers’ fight for a living wage, defense of the people’s rights, resistance against the Marcos regime’s political repression and others. Youth environment defenders, advocates for the rights of national minorities and other oppressed sectors of society joined in the protest.

For Tiffany Faith Brilliante, Defend PUP convener and Sandigan ng Mag-Aaral para sambayanan (SAMASA) PUP leader, the protest reminds new students that learning should not be confined to the four corners of the classroom but must be used to better the condition of the masses in society.