The president of the University of the Philippines has issued an official statement regarding the death of the freshman student Kristel Pilar Mariz Tejada.
Tejada, 16, has committed suicide on Friday, two days after she filed for a Leave of Absence (LOA) for the first semester of AY 2013-2014. An LOA is filed by students who are unable to enroll for that semester due to various reasons. In her case, it was the inability to pay for tuition fees.
Last year, she filed a student loan for the first semester of AY 2012-2013 and was given extension to pay the loan on November 30, 2012. It was further extended to December 2012. In January, her father Christopher Tejada applied for another loan but since it was already the middle of the semester, it was not granted.
The BS Behavioral Sciences student had no choice but to file an LOA on Wednesday, March 13, so she will not be on Absence Without Leave (AWOL) for the next semester. It was approved the next day, March 14. Sadly, she took her own life on Friday in their house in Tayuman, Manila.
Below is the message of UP President Alfredo Pascual regarding Kristel Tejada’s death:
I am deeply saddened by the untimely and tragic death of our UP Manila student Kristel Tejada.
It is unfortunate that this tragedy happened a day after I instructed the Chancellors of all UP units at our council meeting held last Thursday that we should not deny access to qualified students who can not enroll because of financial constraints.
To think also that the reforms I have been pushing since I took office to simplify the STFAP application process and increase the financial aid for poor students are already planned for Board of Regents action next month.
But it takes time to implement change. We can easily be overtaken, as we have been, by a sudden turn of events. But I am confident we can turn the tragedy into a greater resolve to act and make UP accessible to the poor.
In the coming days, my administration will take the necessary steps to address the policy and administrative issues that are related to this unfortunate tragedy.
Alfredo E. Pascual
President
University of the Philippines
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