Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC

I. VISION:
The People's Struggle Committee envisions a USC that is true to its call to serve the people, and thus, is capable of uniting the students with the struggle of the people. The USC, through the People's Struggle Committee, should seek to promote a student body that is involved and aware of the social issues that confronts our society. Finally, the committee also envisions a USC that is sharp on analyzing these issues and is able to make clear and firm stands; stands that are reflective of the real conditions of the Filipino people and the role the Iskolars ng Bayan should play.

II. MISSION:
The People's Struggle Committee should promote social awareness and consciousness to the UP students by engaging them in the issues of the people through comprehensive educational discussions and campaigns. Moreover, it would be the mission of the People's Struggle Committee, through its efforts of educating and mobilizing the students towards a common goal, to develop in them an understanding that the issues of the people are also issues of the students.

III. RATIONALE: The Current State of the Philippine Political Economy.

The Aquino administration, on the first quarter of his term, has showed the Filipino people that he is no different from the Macapagal- Arroyp regime he blatantly denounced. The promise of the matuwid na daan has failed to materialize as the nation still sees itself on the same footing with what it had experienced from the past regimes. Almost two years in office, the Aquino administration has failed to show substantial developments in the country's economy as depicted by high levels of unemployment, worsening poverty conditions, and the persisting clamor of the people to substantially invest in basic social services. Global unemployment has experienced historic highs due to the persisting global financial crisis where everyone finds itself incorporated. In the Philippines alone, the total number of Filipinos needing jobs increased by 330,000 in 2011 to reach 11.5 million of the labor force without work (unemployed) or looking for more work (underemployed). Official figures shows 2.8 million are unemployed, and 7.2 million are underemployed. With the Filipino labor force reaching 40,005, 000 people It is safe to say that 7% of the Filipino labor force is unemployed while 20% is underemployed. Meanwhile, most of the people employed remain in low quality, informal and unsecure employment. Moreover, current decent living standards dictates a Php 1,008 daily allowance for a family of six while current nominal wages stand on Php426 in NCR with a Php249 purchasing power.

Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC We remain victims of growing poverty and inequality as 12.9 million families or 70% of the population are struggling to survive daily on Php104 or less. Not only are filipinos surging through worsening poverty, but they also remain vulnerable to price shocks. A 10% increase in the price of rice would automatically make some 660,000 Filipino people transit to poverty. Meanwhile, the top 20% of families accounted for 52% of our country's total family income. The administration has responded to these problems by investing heavily on economic and social spending that generally makes our national economy attractive to investors. Debt servicing still gets a relatively large allocation compared to the basic social services that the people obviously needs. It is 2.4 times larger than the allocation for education and 15 times larger than health. Although allocation for social services generally increased, looking closer at the budget allocation would reveal the deceptive nature of these increases as more than a third of the increase goes to CCT, an "anti-poverty" program that has many contradictions and lacks assessment since its implementation in 2007. Moreover, these increases are also allocated to the PPP component in the budgets of DOH and DEPed which aims to tie-up the mandate of the government to private sectors that makes it less and less accessible. Clearly, the objective of the Aquino administration is to open the economy to private foreign capital, a great manifestation of its political economy grounded in a neoliberal framework. These are just some of the factual figures that paints the real picture of our national political economy. With the developments of our economy skewed to foreign and private interests, it is our task to remain vigilant and critical to ensure the success of the people's struggle. As students of the country's national premiere university, it is imperative for the iskolars ng bayan to always remind themselves of their significant role in forwarding the democratic interests of the Filipino masses. Clearly, with this challenge prevailing at the hands of the iskolars ng bayan, the establishment of the People's Struggle Committee in the University Student Council remains to be one of the most important ways to unite the students in the struggle of the people.

IV. PROGRAM of ACTION: AGIT Advance the Interests of the different sectors!
It is the primary objective of the People's Struggle Committee to ensure that the students are knowledgeable regarding the struggle of the different sectors of our society-- peasant, workers, youth, women and the LGBT. The committee's focus is to study and develop the understanding of everyone regarding the issues concerning these sectors. A.) Farmers The pipstrug committee will organize Educational Discussions regarding the situation of Filipino peasants and farmers, touching on the issues of landlessness and agrarian reform.These EDs would be conducted prior the Basic Mass Integrations in peasant communities. We will push for the organization of Basic Mass Integrations, an immersion activity open to all UP students, in peasant communities near Metro Manila. It would be efficient to hold BMIs if we would partner with CSWCD and other concerned organizations. Partnership is open to all interested. These BMIs would

Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC also be evaluated for improvements. B.) Workers The pipstrug committee will organize a forum on the workers' situation, their existing struggle for decent wages and just benefits, and other issues concerning them. This will be in close coordination with the School of Economics, organizations and institutions interested.

C.) Students and the Youth Right to Quality and Affordable Education is the primary campaign for the Students and the Youth. The People' Struggle Committee, with the help of the OSR and the STRAW committee will conduct a study on the current situation of the youth sector, emphasizing the UP situation, while also touching on developments regarding the youth's struggle. The results of the said study will be introduced in a forum. It will also be the primary task of the People's Struggle Committee to secure the process of the national budget deliberations and to organize a multi-sectoral mobilization to call for higher state subsidy. In partnership with the CRAW committee, and other interested organizations, we will initiate an outreach activity for the street children in UP and those coming from different UP communities, that will be held during the semestral break. D.) Women and the LGBT The primary campaign would be based on the framework of the Gender Committee In coordination with the gender committee, the People's Struggle Committee will help in the efforts of conducting Educational Discussions and Forums regarding the issues of women, children, and the LGBT. The pipstrug committee will also help in mobilizing the UP students to help the progress of Gender related pending legislations such as the Anti-Discrimination Bill and the RH Bill.

Give the students a reason to unite!

The pipstrug committee should be determined to bring the issues of the people to the students of the university. It is the committee's role to make the students realize that these issues are also their issues, hence it is expected of them to be informed and take part in the people's struggle. A.) Engage students in a healthy intellectual Discourse 2-5 minutes Room to Room and org discussions on social issues Create focus groups (tap the committees, college reps, and organizations who are interested to ensure massive participation of these focus groups.) Forums on social issues while discussing their nature and solutions Dormitory hops to be able to discuss to the dormers these issues release of USC statements B.) Integrate the students to the reality of the Basic Masses situation engage organizations, classes, and local student councils to the Basic Masses Integration (BMI) that will be spearheaded by the USC under the People's

Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC Struggle committee. These BMIs would be properly evaluated based on its feasibility and security. The people's struggle committee can hold BMIs at least once every semester. We can also tap and encourage CWTS classes to have a BMI for their class activity and partner with USC.

C.) Empower the students through collective action together with the secretariat committee and the Mass Media committee, the USC would develop efficient and effective ways to encourage students in joining the USC volcorps the people's struggle committee would also make sure to invite students regularly in mass mobilizations especially on sectoral issues

Intensify and coordinate with the committees in forwarding

their advocacies
It works to the advantage of the People's Struggle Committee to coordinate with the different committees in the USC to be able to touch on the different issues of the society. The People's Struggle Committee will also help in the respective campaigns of these committees by making sure that it informs and mobilizes the students. A.) CRAW together with the Community Rights and Welfare Committe, the Pipstrug committee will work closely on the pressing issues that touch the interests of the UP community such as safety and security of UP communities and the campus as a whole, fare increases on our ikot jeepneys, demolitions and housing. in partnership with the CRAW committee, we will launch an outreach activity for the street children and the kids from different UP communities. coordinate with the Envi committee in promoting the university's awareness regarding the sustainable use of natural resources launch and initiate campaigns that would promote proper waste management, and promote solutions on issues concerning the environment.

B.) Envi -

C.) GENDER the pipstrug committee will coordinate with the gender committee on it its campaings regarding the promotion of the RH BILL that will be initiated together with other organizations, offices, and institutions concerned in UP. mobilize the UP Community on (1) issues of anti-discrimination through a Pride March (2) the legislation of the RH bill. D.) COFS the People's struggle committee will tap on the Committee on organizations, fraternities, and sororities to invite them in the educational discussions, forums,

Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC and BMIs for potential partnerships and participation. we will also inform organizations, fraternities, and sororities regarding issues of Human Rights Violations and encourage them to take an active stance regarding it. the Education and Research Committee would be the primary partner of the People's Struggle Committee in organizing forums and educational discussions for the UP students. the pipstrug committee will work in close coordination with the EDRES committee to (1) release issue-based primers whenever needed and (2) draft USC statements regarding this issue.

E.) EDRES-

F.) Mass Media the people's struggle committee will be needing the help of the Mass Media committee to ensure the effective publicity of the forums, educational discussions, BMIs, mobilizations, and campaigns. It is vital that the issues of the people be properly disseminated to the student body to ensure their active participation.

Track and set the temporary dates for the campaigns and
events concerning the People's Struggle Committee.
The Pipstrug committee is a campaign and education based committee whose events are based solely on timely issues that may arise during the course of the coming academic year. It is therefore implied that a concrete and distinct calendaring of activities may be difficult to materialize. The campaigns and the general activities of the Pipstrug committee also depend on the following events: Important Dates to Remember: Feb 25 - People Power Day May 01 - labor day June 12 - Independence Day August 27 - National Heroes Day July 23- State of the Nation Address August 30- international day of the disappeared October- Peasant Month November 17- International Students Day March 8- Women's Day December 10- Human Rights Day April 22- Earth Day March 31, 8:30am- Earth Hour

Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC

V. Committee Structure.
Committee Head

Deputy for Campaigns and Publicity

Deputy for Education

Secretary

Sectoral Coordinators

Duties and Functions of the Committee Officers: Committee Head: 1.Exercise supervision over the committee. 2.Keep in touch with other committees within the USC for coordination and unification of the plans of the committees and the other committees concerns. 3. Coordinate with organizations and other institutions who would want to partner with the USC on its campaigns regarding social issues. 4.Perform other functions as may be delegated by the USC Secretary: 1. Keep record of all activities of the committee and inform the members. 2. Note all the transactions or communications released or accepted by the committee. 3. Perform other functions delegated by the committee. Deputy for Campaigns and Publicity: 1.Ensure that activities of the committee are made known to the student body and the USC. 2.Coordinate with the Mass Media Committee to ensure that the campaigns and activities of the committee are well publicized. 2.Ensure that the phase of every campaign is followed.

Peoples Struggle Committee Proponent: Miko Gloria- Econ Rep to the USC 3.Perform other functions delegated by the committee. Deputy for Education: 1.Ensure that discussions and other venues for education are pushed through by the committee. 2. Coordinate with the Education and Research Committee on the educational discussions and forums that will be initiated by the People's Struggle Committee. 2.Ensure that every member of the committee is well aware of the various issues inside and outside the University, especially those which are tackled by the committee. 3.Perform other functions delegated by the committee.