MANILA, Philippines — A president defunding the University of the Philippines (UP) would be “legally infirm,” Senator Francis Pangilinan said Wednesday. This, after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to cut government funding for the University of the Philippines amid calls for students for an academic strike in protest against the government’s disaster response. “This is not unique to the Philippines, worldwide you see student protests,” he added. In his taped speech aired on Tuesday, Duterte also dared the students to stop attending their classes and just criticize government inaction during disasters and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Ateneo de Manila University started the academic strike online last week.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 18, 2020 02:03 UTC