Funeral march for UP-Manila freshman starts

A funeral march started Friday morning in Manila for a University of the Philippines freshman who took her own life last week allegedly because she could not afford tuition. The coffin bearing the remains of Kristel Tejada, 16, were brought out of the UP Manila campus and placed on a vehicle, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported. UP community members released red and white balloons with the message "Justice for Kristel" before the start of the march to Mehan Garden, the report said. The march was to proceed along Taft Avenue to Mehan Garden, after which the participants will split into two groups. One group, including Kristel's family members, is to return with Kristel's remains to a funeral home in Sta. Cruz. The other group, which includes militant students, is to march to Mendiola Bridge near Malacañang to demand justice for Tejada. Kristel suicide last week prompted outrage from various groups against the tuition policies of UP. UP was eventually prompted to lift a policy against the "late payment" of tuition to benefit students with financial constraints. Last Tuesday, UP Manila Chancellor Manuel Agulto said in a statement that UP President Alfredo Pascual issued the directive lifting the policy. "In view of the issues raised regarding the late payment of tuition and other school fees, henceforth, I am enjoining all chancellors to allow a reasonable amount of time for registration and payment of fees," he quoted Pascual's directive to chancellors, in a statement posted on UP Manila's Facebook page. "Just to make it clear, this means that the 'no late payment' policy has been lifted. Any student with financial constraints will no longer have any problems with regard to tuition fee payment deadlines," Agulto said. Kristel is to be buried Saturday at the Manila North Cemetery. — LBG, GMA News