MANILA, Philippines – Six years after the University of the Philippines (UP) Shopping Center in the Diliman campus burned down, various sectors of the UP community launched an alliance against what it called the “growing commercialization” of the state university.

In a press conference on Tuesday, March 12, the multi-sectoral network UP Not For Sale urged the UP administration to prioritize the concerns of the UP community. Members of the University Student Council, Local College Councils, the Shopping Center Association, UP Academic Workers Union, UP Workers Alliance, mga manininda (vendors) organizations, other faculty, and UP residents were present at the briefing.

This came amid the current plans for the DiliMall, a three-story building that will lead to the opening of the campus doors to private businesses like franchise stores and high-end restaurants. The new structure where the old UP Shopping Center once stood before it was destroyed in a blaze on March 8, 2018 is still being completed.

Representatives of vendors, students, and faculty came together to oppose the floor plans for DiliMall, which they said heightens the state university’s commercialization, while abandoning the needs of the community’s core stakeholders. 

Rappler reached out to UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Vistan II on Thursday, March 14, on the issues raised by these groups. As of writing, he had yet to respond.

Rappler also reached out to UP President Angelo Jimenez on March 13, but he still had not sent any response as of writing. 

We will update this story once any of them or other officials air the side of the UP administration. 

Roots of the UP Shopping Center

Edward Fernando, president of UP Shopping Center Stallholders Association (UP SCSAI), said the UP Shopping Center, built in the 1970s, was made to cater to the needs of the UP community. The establishment was a one-stop shop for students who needed access to affordable meals, quick photocopying and printing services, and even budget-friendly haircuts. 

Vendors and stall owners in the Shopping Center understood their roles in the lives of UP community, thus they also strove to make sure the prices of their services and products were accessible to students, faculty, and those who lived within the university. 

Samahan ng mga Manininda sa UP Campus chairperson Narry Hernandez said the high rent required of tenants in the new DiliMall makes it impossible to make the goods and services there affordable to the UP community.

Physical accessibility was also questioned, as vendors lamented the proposed floor plan that places local UP vendors in spaces for rent on the third floor of the new DiliMall. UP SCSAI vice president Hermie Laroa said this directly affects them due to logistical issues, such as difficulty in transporting their large equipment upstairs, and accessibility to students who may be pressed for time when running their errands. 

Community takes action

As the students, faculty, and workers chanted “Serbisyo sa tao, huwag gawing negosyo!” (Service to people, don’t make it a business!”), representatives from the University Student Council (USC) held up their take on what the DiliMall floor plan should be. 

The alternative floor plan shows the ground floor spaces being allocated to the original Shopping Center stallholders and spots for food stalls of local UP vendors. It also repurposes other spaces on the higher floors into spots for essential services like supplies shops and salons. Academic and recreational spaces were also allotted for students’ needs. 

Why does it matter and what’s next?

USC Chairperson Mary Sunshine Reyes said the “commercialization tactics” of the state university have “concrete manifestations on the ground.” 

“It would mean less food services sa already mataas na presyo ng pagkain, na limited na nga sa ating mga estudyante, faculty, at staff. Mawawalang ng kabuhayang ang ibang mga campus vendors natin,” Reyes said.

(It would mean less food services, amid the already high price of food, which is already limited to our students, faculty, and staff. Our other campus vendors will also lose their livelihood.)

She also said the network requested a dialogue with the UP administration on March 21, and called on the administration to “champion the rights and well-being of the community.” – Rappler.com