In a bittersweet outcome of their fight against the feared tuition hike proposal in the public university, five student leaders from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), who led some 60 university students in an indignation rally last Wednesday afternoon, were charged with robbery several hours after Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Emmanuel Angeles categorically and clearly declared that no tuition increase will be approved or implemented in the school.

PUP student leaders Chaser Soriano, 19, Ferrin Umagat, 19, Judy Anne Fabito, 19, Piem Canela, 18, and Abriel Mansilungan, 20, got the good news that Angeles, who is also the Chairman of the PUP Board of Regents (BOR), vowed that he will vote against the proposed tuition increase on March 29, the scheduled BOR meeting to discuss the proposal, inside the detention cell of the Manila Police District-General Assignment Section (MPD-GAS) at around 7:30 pm, Wednesday.

"We are now assured of two votes against the tuition hike during the scheduled BOR meeting on Monday," Soriano told the Manila Bulletin in an interview. "The students only needed 6 to 7 people to say that we have been triumphant in our cause. But it was a setback on our part because we got detained here."

Police Chief Inspector Marcelo Reyes, head of the MPD-GAS section, said they have filed charges of robbery with intimidation and violence against the five student leaders at around 11:20 p.m., Wednesday before the Manila City Prosecutor's Office due to a complaint of Leonardo Coquilla, chief of the security division of PUP-Manila that they took out several school properties without the university's consent.

The alleged crime, according to Reyes, were committed by the five militant youths at around 12:30 p.m., Wednesday while some 60 students barged inside the said public campus to hold their indignation rally against the 1,700% tuition hike in PUP.

During the protest action, the militant students allegedly tried to carry out at least 13 PUP chairs on board at least two passenger jeepneys bearing the license plates TWU-753 and TVY-797 without the consent of the university officials.

"Our security personnel were outnumbered and, although they were armed, they could not prevent the students since they were ordered to exert maximum tolerance," Coquilla explained.

The two vehicles were only flagged down by the joint elements of the MPD-Station 5 policemen and PUP security guards upon reaching a police outpost on Valenzuela Street, in Sta. Mesa Manila.

For their part, Soriano denied that they intended to steal the chairs — which they described as garbage — as she explained that they only planned to show it to the CHED chairman during their demonstration.

Soriano, who is the president of the PUP student council and PUP chairperson of militant group Anak-bayan, said that their arrest was allegedly made to harrass the students who were not in favor of the tuition increase.

"We are confident that they will withdraw the charges they filed against us. They know that we are getting sympathies from different sectors and I know that they know they are just humiliating themselves more by detaining us here for a long time," she said.

Meanwhile, militant student artists of PUP mounted some 200 black crosses on piles of wrecked armchairs inside the university campuses at around 11:06 am, Thursday during their third day of protest against the P200/per-unit tuition.

Arthur Cadungon, spokesman for Sining Bugkos, explained that the black crosses were a symbolism of President Arroyo's alleged abandonment on education and other basic social services during her nine year term as the country's chief executive.

"Education now is commodity rather than a right. Instead of giving our youth with equal opportunity and access to good education, PGMA offers nothing but to make this services as a privelege for those who can pay for it," Cadungon stressed.

"The tons of rubbish facilities symbolizes piles of economic burdens being carried by the already burdened shoulders of the youth and people. This is very well in time for the upcoming Holy week," he added.

Members of Sining Bugkos, together with Bayan-NCR and Musicians for Peace, constructed an installation of art protest at the main campus of PUP aside from the 200 black crosses over the piles of wreck armchairs of their schools.

The group, likewise, announced that they are all ready for a big rally Friday, for the annual 'Kalbaryo ng Mamamayan.'