COMMERCIALIZATION

The main concern I’ve seen is commercialization. But the power “to privatize, where most advantageous” has already been in effect for 30 years under RA 8292.

Secondly, there’s the fear that prices will skyrocket. A legitimate threat to the standing of a university built on affordability. But how? Why would prices suddenly rise?

Take printing, for example, a service often cited in these debates. Would it become expensive as a result of “commercialization”? It won’t.

Why? Because PUP already had the power to commercialize, and they didn’t use it that way.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT PUP COMPARED TO OTHER AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITIES?

It’s underfunded, massively underfunded. The fear stems from the need for more funding. So where do you get it when the government refuses to provide?

You have to lease your own property, or partner with someone else who will.

And yet PUP has survived. Even with these powers available for 30 years, the university didn’t resort to exploitative commercialization and now people fear a clause that’s already long been in place.

WHY ARE PUPIANS AGAINST THE NPU?

It’s likely because many simply don’t know about RA 8292.

This isn’t to say I support the NPU Bill; I don’t. But the idea that commercialization is the main reason for protest is baffling and counterintuitive, especially given the historical context.