UP Baguio students walk out against massive corruption

BAGUIO CITY — Hundreds of students and members of different student organizations at the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB), in a collective expression of outrage against massive corruption, walked out of their classrooms on Wednesday afternoon.

The students, aside from joining the nationwide outrage against systemic corruption visible in the government's infrastructure projects and facilities, are also protesting budget cuts.

Alliance of Concerned Students (ACS) UPB Chairperson Wendell Ortega lamented that the government's budget allocation for the education sector is severely lacking, while a few politicians—along with their families and friends—are pocketing huge amounts of money from projects. He asked how many thousands more students the government could educate and how many more buildings universities could utilize if they were not being robbed by bureaucrat-capitalists, or the people in the government using their positions for their vested interests.

In a manifesto, 50 student organizations in UPB conveyed their condemnation of corruption in the country. "We, the undersigned student formations of UP Baguio, vehemently oppose the corruption that maligns the country today. This comes at a time when the UP System is poised to receive a ₱21 billion budget deficit from its 2026 proposal. This will translate into student services being inadequate, infrastructure projects left unfinished, and vital programs for student development not being funded," the statement read.

The students stated that while the people grapple with the crisis, corrupt politicians and contractors continue to enrich themselves and inherit stolen wealth, living lavishly as the nation drowns in debt, classrooms crumble, and the youth are denied their future. They vowed that aside from the walkout this September 17, 2025, the students will join the larger mobilization on September 21, 2025—the anniversary of the declaration of martial law—as part of the continuous action dubbed "Bahain ng protesta ang kurap na sistema."

Meanwhile, UPB Chancellor Joel M. Addawe endorsed the UPB Day of Action and Walkout. This is in response to a letter from the UP Baguio University Student Council calling for the chancellor to endorse the students' day of action against the rampant plunder and corruption in the country.