We salute and congratulate the thousands of students, councils and organizations, educators, faculty unions and associations, employees and administrators in state schools nationwide who made history last week in a resounding expression of unity and commitment to oppose the planned budget cuts on education and social services.

We stood up, walked out and waged a strike, not only for ourselves and our schools. We fought for right of every Filipino to education. We suspended our classes so that more students may be able to study. We barricaded our campus gates for days so that our schools may be open to more young people especially the poor.

We took action for the nation, and for the future. We lived up to being genuine iskolars ng bayan.

We expressed disgust over the fact that the government chose to fund debt servicing, pork barrel and military over education and other social services. We waged a strike against injustice, against government neglect, against corruption. We called upon those in power to stand for the interests of the people and not the elite few.

Instead of heeding the people’s call, the Aquino government and its allies insult the people’s intelligence by responding with lies and lame excuses. These however, only serves to expose their criminal intentions. They provoke further our collective outrage by saying that tuition should be hiked to compensate for budget cuts, that tertiary education is a private good, and that SUCs should be abolished.

They arrogantly display their power and greed, they try to tell us that we can do nothing to stop their misdeeds. Through their grand lies, they wish to drown us in apathy, divide us and undermine our collective strength. They want us to abandon our fight, surrender and join them in betraying the interest of the Filipino people.

We will not be cowed. We have a duty to our nation and we have a future to fight for.

We are calling on all students, professors, administrators from state schools, private schools and high schools nationwide. We are calling on out-of-school youths, already abandoned by the current system. We are calling on Filipinos, workers, peasants who will be pushed into further destitution. On December 1, we march as one.

Let it not be said that we did nothing the day a few robbed the nation of their rights, their hope, and their future.

Para sa bayan, para sa kinabukasan.
Ipagtagumpay ang laban.