UPLB under Chancellor Camacho

by Christian Natanauan (Ikirara)

Succeeding former Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. took his position on November 1st of the past year after the UP Board of Regents elected him as the 10th chancellor of UPLB on September 24th. 

There is nothing easy about taking over the reins of campus chancellorship amidst the challenges brought about by the constant attacks on student activism and implementing an online learning setup in the middle of a global pandemic. In addition, expectations were high on Chancellor Camacho as he continually led the pre-election polls for chancellorship. His plans for “Future-Proofing UPLB” were the spotlight of his mission-vision statement, highlighting the future-proofing of the campus’ human resources, lifelong-learning and instruction system, research and innovation system, commitment to public good and social welfare, and global engagement. With this statement comes the mobilization of the grounds for university-wide improvement through the chancellor’s new term.

On the fight for academic freedom

Many attacks on the UP community have been occurring repeatedly over the past year. Multiple reports of unwarranted abductions and accusations targeted towards student activists have been continuously making headlines. The unilateral termination of the agreement between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of National Defense (DND), dubbed as the UP-DND Accord, has only amplified these incidents

In a statement made by Chancellor Camacho on the exact day of the termination on January 19, 2021, he declared the abrogation of the accord as ‘an assault against UP’s freedom’. He condemned the claims of the university serving as breeding grounds for rebel-students, effectively differentiating rebellion from the peaceful freedom of expression through activism in the university. His words reflect that the fight for academic freedom shall not waver, asserting his dissent with the said unilateral rescission.

Ten days later, a Facebook post by the Philippine National Police (PNP) saw an outburst of concern and disdain from the UPLB community. They insinuated the existence of a so-called agreement between the PNP and the UPLB administration “to build stronger collaboration” through protecting the campus from organizations and activities which oppose the government. After the information stating that Chancellor Camacho visited the Laguna Police Provincial Office (LPPO) on the discussion of campus security, the public questioning the underlying motives placed the administration in hot water.

Chancellor Camacho rightfully declared that the said social media post wrongfully implied any ties of the administration with the PNP and its Laguna sector. He stated that his administration made future concrete plans on university security with the LPPO and not the PNP. We can only expect that this upholding of academic freedom should remain unperturbed in the huge remainder of the chancellor’s term.

On the challenges faced by online learning

Because of the continuance of a virtual setup brought about by the threats of the pandemic, it has been a challenge to the university’s officials to take measures for the hastening of the return to a physical learning setup. Face-to-face classes are of high demand to students, and the call for conducive healthcare measures and administrative actions has been louder than ever.

It has been clear through many student experiences that the first online semester on the First Semester of Academic Year (A.Y.) 2020-2021 was ineffective and served as an immense burden for all in the academe. The lack of inclusivity dealt by the disparity in online learning resources heavily affected the quality of learning in the study community. 

Student councils and organizations have made continuous calls for imposing various solutions to cater to the experienced dilemmas. Though the declaration of leniency in deadlines has been most recently made, it is barely a sufficient action as it conjures up subjectivity amongst the courses handled. This only heightened the level of imbalance in the students’ workload. Besides this, we requested a recent plea for a genuine academic break from April 5 to April 10, halting the execution of synchronous classes and the submission of deadlines. This request landed on the UPLB Office of the Chancellor, only for the chancellor to reject it.

The summation of challenges experienced by online learners and teachers have cumulatively pent up, and it is only right for the administration to exercise their power for a rightful ease in academic workload. The ineffectiveness of the current learning setup has not only taken a toll on members of the UPLB community but also threatens the quality of learning that all students of the university deserve. Therefore, the student officials must hear the demands of the students and to provide fair actions to provide for the well-being of its community.

Is UPLB ready to be reopened?

As mentioned, the demand for the return to face-to-face classes has been at the forefront of student demands. The experienced inefficiency of online learning only hastens the need for physical classes, therefore it is in the best interest of the administration to take action to heed the request. Most especially, access to university equipment is of utmost importance for laboratory classes and others that require hands-on learning since online performances of laboratory procedures pale when compared to actual simulation. 

The UPLB has declared their readiness to implement controlled face-to-face classes, yet this readiness is to no avail without the authorization of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). As of writing, the IATF still has not approved of implementing controlled physical classes, obstructing the probability of in-person classes this semester.

Chancellor Camacho’s first few months have truly been eventful, yet the demands of the community are far from being resolved. As though the university can hold physical classes, its implementation should be both of justice and equality in the community, aside from its effectuation of conducive safety health measures. The current situation requires more effective plans of action, a challenge made to the current chancellor and other university officials to simulate the pre-planned “future-proofing” of the university. We enjoin the members of the UPLB community to voice out their grievances to the chancellor and his fellow officials, and to continually fight for the rights that we deserve.