Monday, March 03, 2008

NERI - Catch me if you CAN!

I just got this from Inquirer's website. Hahaha. =)). Too bad I didn't experience this kind of rally. Also, I haven't watched this on TV PATROL WORLD. Crap.

Irate students call Neri a coward


DORA - left! WEEEHOH! and here's ate pingpong (classmate ko siya sa table tennis, and I forgot her name. Sorry ate! =|)


February 29, 2008
Updated 18:48:59 (Mla time)
Jeffrey M. Tupas
Mindanao Bureau

DAVAO CITY, Philippines--After agreeing to face the protesting students of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao, Commission on Higher Education chair Romulo Neri backed off from the meeting by running away through the school's main building, only to be chased by students who were shouting "Speak up! Speak up!" and "Duwag (coward)! Duwag! Duwag!"

For four hours Friday morning, the students waited for Neri outside the UP-Mindanao's administration building where they waved streamers and placards and chanted calls for the CHEd chairman to listen to their woes and complaints on the high cost of education and for him to tell the truth behind the controversial NBN-ZTE deal.

Their placards clearly manifested their desire to speak to Neri, although some attacked him in tongue-in-cheek fashion, for instance, "Ang tunay na maginoo, nagsasabi ng totoo (A real gentleman tells the truth)" and "Ang tunay na gentleman, hindi kampi sa kawatan (A real gentleman does not side with thieves)."


Shahana Abdulwahid, chair of the UP-Diliman Student Council and member of the board as representative of the students, was the one who convinced Neri to go out and talk to the protesters. Neri heads the UP Board of Regents.

Abdulwahid said Neri agreed to go out after the board meeting. But the meeting ended at past 11 a.m., almost an hour later, and Neri was still holed up inside the administration building with the other members of the regents.

At past noon, the protesters, a number of them belonging to the youth groups League of Filipino Students and Anakbayan, who positioned themselves in front of the building, were agitated upon learning that Neri was slipping out through the back door. A brief chase happened between Neri, who was tightly accompanied by his security escorts, and the angry students who were shouting "Speak up! Speak up!" and "Duwag! Duwag! Duwag!"

Frustrated, the students continued their demonstration a few more minutes, assailing the "coverup between the UP administration and Neri."

The students also called for Neri’s resignation as head of the board of regents as they called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately vacate the Malacañang.

"This government is really living up to its reputation of being an experienced cheat as we have seen how a government official, who owes the people a lot, once again cheated on us. He said he will face and talk to us and yet what? Turning his back on us is an ultimate act of cowardice," said UP-Mindanao student council president Makpil Zarrin Dem Camacho.

Camacho said what Neri did is reflective of the government's penchant to trick the people.

"This government, with all its morality-deficiency and a history of stealing and corrupting peoples' money, can never be trusted by the youth and the entire Filipino people. This is the kind of government whose sincerity to deliver the basic services to the people can never be trusted," Camacho said.

Tiara Mejos, editor-in-chief of UP-Mindanao's Himati, said it was obvious that the people surrounding Neri stopped him from facing the protesters. She said one of the security aides of Neri, she said, accidentally "elbowed" her as she was one of the first few who ran after the fleeing Neri.


"I felt sad about it because UP is supposed to have the reputation of promoting social justice but right now, it has succumbed to something deplorable such as this," Mejos said.

UP professor Reine Katryn Taya, (WEEE !! :]]) who witnessed the chase between Neri and the students, said she felt sorry for the students and enraged at the sight of a top government official "who totally lost his remaining honesty by surrendering to cowardice."

"He evaded the encounter and this deprived the public, the students, of the truth. What we have just witnessed was again an offspring of the lies that he had himself caught in between. Why run away?" Taya said.


The Social Sciences professor said it was a shame seeing a government official being chased by the students who only demanded explanation and the truth.

"What is he so afraid of? These students are so few for him to be intimidated by them …what he did was really not fair, infuriating, and at the same time, ridiculous," Taya said.

Abdulwahid, on the other hand, blamed the security detail of Neri for the incident. While Neri was willing to face the student, she said, the security aides barred him and instead escorted him to the vehicles waiting for him to be ferried back to the airport.

"From what I know, Neri really wanted to speak to the students but his security details told him not to," Abdulwahid said.


Here are some highlights during the February 29 rally in UP MINDANAO: (Special thanks to Monzer Abpi and Geva Jayson.):

BEST FRIENDS IN REAL LIFE? Doubt it..

Chipmunk with the Bio pipz (Lyle, Kuya Modda and Ate Monique)

GO GO GO mga iskolar ng BAYAN! HABULIN NIYO SI NERI! :))

Okay NEIL. So kailangan pa mag pose during the rally?! PEACE! :D

19 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:10 PM

    "He evaded the encounter and this deprived the public, the students, of the truth. What we have just witnessed was again an offspring of the lies that he had himself caught in between. Why run away?" Taya said.

    "What is he so afraid of? These students are so few for him to be intimidated by them …what he did was really not fair, infuriating, and at the same time, ridiculous," Taya said.


    Yeah, so true. Why would he run away? It just means that he's hiding something-- the truth. People only want the truth and it is the people's right to know the truth, bakit pa pinagkakaila sa mga tao yun dba? It's just sad.

    "From what I know, Neri really wanted to speak to the students but his security details told him not to," Abdulwahid said.

    I hope he'll find the real ultimate courage to speak out to the people. Then, it will ultimately set him free. I hope he won't stay as a puppet of the government. :|

    Dapat sasama ako sa rally nun sa Makati e, naiwan kami ng bus ng school namin =)) Hahaha.

    ReplyDelete
  2. we just want the truth behind those controversies. hay naku. =(( it's sooo sad that students of UP, the country's premier university witnessed neri's great escape. =(.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:10 PM

    hi renz. yang sabi mong si ate ping-pong, pangalan pala niya ay si ate Rosel Susan Serrano aka Bikay... thnx

    we now see how UP shows its repressive colour even in its centennial celebration...hay naku po... >;-/

    ReplyDelete
  4. hahah. oo nga. si krista ang nagsabi sa 'kin nyan. hahahah lol :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:10 PM

    bakit renz.. gusto mo sumali? haha sali tayo.ay!

    ReplyDelete
  6. sa UP ka skul grace? wala lang. curious lang. kasi dumating yung board of regeants ng UP sa amin last friday. tapos wala lang. may abs-cbn at gma pa. and take note, magkatabi ang van nila. bwahahhah :)))).

    hanggang USI level lang ako, usi-> usisero. di ko na kaya ang MAKIBAKA level. bwahaha :)))))))

    ReplyDelete
  7. am tagging you for the month's top five blog..am also asking for your support, hope to vote for me..thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. was there. saw it. covered (hmm...) haha!

    ReplyDelete
  9. ate gagay:

    sure sure :))). hehehhe :))). i'll vote for you ate.

    ReplyDelete
  10. bananas:

    realllyyy? hehehhe. buti ka pa :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. kailangan na talagang tumayo tayong mga kabataan para ipaglaban ang ating karapatan upang humingi ng katotohanan! kaapilon gud ko bai! mkalagot! bwct ni akong ka-look alike (si Gloria-ewww!)! stop this corruption! ahhhh! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. bwahahahha :)) naktawa ko sa imong gi-ingon. look-alike - GLORIA. kinsa nag una ana? hahaha lol.

    hmmm. GLORIO nlng ka. bwahahah.

    uie kim. 900 pesos na ba ang lab fee sa tuition sa UP? SHYYEEEEET.

    ReplyDelete
  13. renz..naa kuy ichikka..hahaha..kalayu ra ba sa topic uie..diri pa jud nga post nimu!hahahaha..

    mmmmm...nxt time nlang sa ibang post..hehehe...

    ReplyDelete
  14. hehehehe :)))) ingna nlng sa akua pag magkita taaaa :))))))

    ReplyDelete
  15. 600 pesos gihapon ang naka-butang sa letter. hehehe.

    dugay na man na. katong younger pa ko. kanawong jud daw nako si Gloria ug gina impersonate man sad nako siya sauna. mao ng nabansagan kog Gloria-look alike-ewwww! hahaha.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ayyyy, i mean ang laboratory fee. 300 man gud siya then naay rumors na 900 na daw??! waaa.

    naaah! ngano man gud gi gaya si gloria! :p

    ReplyDelete
  17. 600 ang naka-sulat sa letter. hehe.

    lagi! pwera kasi, impersonator of the stars akong drama! hahaha. :D

    ReplyDelete
  18. WAAAAAA. 600 na diay. pistiiii. 4 baya akong lab next sem!!!! GRRR. abot 16 thou na jud akong tuition ani next sem. pagka :(

    ReplyDelete
  19. ok lang na oi. at least diba. sulit man sad kay ang leve l of education sa UP super ka taas! hahaha. and compared sa 4th year sa SMAD which cost 25, 000 whole year! hehehe. :D

    ReplyDelete

Whatchasay?