Several netizens opined that University of the Philippines Manila should be taken off the list of universities in the country offering free tuition for medical students.
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This was in reaction to the list posted by News5 on June 15 that listed eight universities that provide free tuition for incoming medical students this school year 2017-2018. These universities include the University of Northern Philippines, Mariano Marcos State University, Cagayan State University, Bicol University, West Visayas State University, University of the Philippines Leyte, Mindanao State University, and University of the Philippines Manila.
However, some netizens said that UP Manila should be taken off the list because their students are quite occupied in staging rallies and criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte.
One netizen said, “Dapat Hindi na sinama ang UP Manila dahil karamihan Jan sa estudyante mga walang deciplina. Panay Rally at Naghuhubad pa. Ang mga professor sa UP Mali ang pagtuturo sa estudyante. Sila pa ang nangunguna sa pagbatikos ni President Duterte. Hay naku mga bastos walang galang sa leader ng bansa.”
Another one piped in, saying: “Dapat hinde na sinama ang U.P Manila sayang Lang ang pera na ibigay sa school nayan may karapatan din kaming mag react dyan galing yan sa tax ng mamamayan Kaya wag isama ang U,P Manila”
There were several other comments expressing the same thought.
However, there were also netizens who tried to educate the others about the contribution of many of the UP Manila medical graduates to the country, starting with running the state-owned Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and sending doctors to various regions in the country.
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Facebook user Mark Jason Milan said:
“Ang UP Manila po ang nagpapatakbo ng PGH, ang pambansang pagamutan na bukas sa lahat. Dito po sinasanay ang ilan sa pinakamahuhusay na doktor. UP Manila din po ang nag-implementa ng Regionalization program na ipinadadala sa bawat rehiyon sa Pilipinas ang mga napapagraduate na doktor sa ilalim ng programang ito. Ngayon kuya, ang utak ay binigay ng Diyos para gamitin natin. Pakiusap, pakigamit nyo po bago mambatikos. Manaliksik bago magpuna. Ikaw, ano na nagawa mo para sa mga kababayang maysakit?”
Elvin Digno Dulce also showed a screenshot of UP Manila’s 100% passing rate in the March 2017 Physician Licensure Examination.
Many of UP Manila’s graduates became doctors to the barrios, reminded Christian Kent Pauchano Ceriola.
Bea Cartujano said that the commenters slamming UP Manila may not have realized that some of the doctors they met are UP graduates.
You can read more about the exchange of comments in this Facebook post by News5:
According to Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Prospero De Vera, CHED and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has developed the implementing rules and regulations for the P317.1 million worth of student financial assistance in the 2017 budget. This will allow incoming medical students in public medical schools to avail of free tuition through the Cash Grants to Medical Students Enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (CGMS-SUCs) program.
“The initiative is a response to the continuing lack of doctors in the country caused by the high cost of medical education, overseas migration and brain drain. The Duterte administration wants to solve this problem by subsidizing the tuition of medical students and facilitating their residency and practice in the different parts of the country,” De Vera said.
To get the financial assistance, a medical student must observe the following requirements:
- Pass the admission requirements of the state university or college
- Enrol in an authorized Doctor of Medicine program of the school
- Maintain a general weighted average of at least a passing grade
- Study with a regular academic load and complete the medical degree within the period allowed by the school
De Vera added that as part of their public service responsibility, grantees are required to render one year of service in the Philippines in return for every year of cash grant received. This will ensure that they will stay and serve their fellow Filipinos after getting their degree in exchange for their free tuition.
Sources: ( cnnphilippines.com )
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