Kabataan: More students to hold protests despite Duterte’s threat to kick them out
Kabataan party-list said that more student activists will participate in the National Day of Walkout against the US-Duterte Dictatorship on February 23. AP/Bullit Marquez
MANILA, Philippines — More students will continue to stage “walkouts” to denounce President Rodrigo Duterte’s “dictatorship and tyrannical attacks” on the people, Kabataan party-list said Friday.
The militant youth group remains unfazed despite the threat of Duterte to replace the student activists from the University of the Philippines who walk out of their classes to stage anti-government rallies with deserving Lumads.
“Those who don’t want to go to school, get out because I will bring the bright Lumads there, I will enroll them there in UP. A lot of Filipinos want a good education,” Duterte said Thursday.
Kabataan slammed Duterte’s “sudden concern” about the education of Lumads when he had threatened to bomb Lumad schools before.
“His military has subjected their communities to prolonged harassment, food blockades, heightened militarization and killing spree,” it said.
READ: Duterte threatens to bomb lumad schools
The group also said that Duterte’s statement exposes that not all will benefit from his “free education scam.”
“He dangles it around every time there is opposition to his fanatical dictatorship. As if education is free in UP and other state universities, many students continue to suffer from skyrocketing costs of tuition and other school fees, causing growing discontent and rage among the youth,” it said.
Kabataan said that more student activists will participate in the National Day of Walkout against the US-Duterte Dictatorship on February 23.
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