MANILA, Philippines — Students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) finally returned to face-to-face classes on Saturday, August 22, following a string of weather-related disruptions that repeatedly forced the university to suspend classes or move instruction online.
But what was supposed to be a straightforward return to classrooms quickly became something much bigger.
As students streamed back into PUP’s Sta. Mesa campus, thousands also joined the university’s annual “First Day Fight” protest, turning the opening of the academic year into a highly visible demonstration over education funding, student welfare and a controversial proposal that could reshape the future of the country’s largest state university system.
Daily Tribune reported that PUP formally resumed physical classes on August 22 after repeated disruptions linked to the southwest monsoon, or Habagat.
Weeks of weather disruptions hit PUP students
The return to campus came after a difficult August for students across Metro Manila.
PUP advisories show that classes and university operations were repeatedly affected by heavy rainfall associated with the Habagat and tropical weather systems.
On August 6, classes and work were suspended at PUP campuses and extension programs in Metro Manila and several provinces following a government suspension caused by the enhanced southwest monsoon.
On August 7 and 8, PUP Sta. Mesa shifted classes to Alternative Delivery Mode, including synchronous or asynchronous instruction, as Tropical Depression Maymay and the Habagat continued to affect Manila.
Another Manila-wide suspension was ordered on August 11 because of expected moderate to heavy rainfall, while government work and classes in the National Capital Region and other Luzon areas were again suspended beginning on the afternoon of August 13.
The sequence meant that although the academic term was moving forward, many students spent part of its opening weeks navigating cancellations, online classes and uncertain schedules instead of having uninterrupted face-to-face instruction.
PUP’s official enrollment schedule for the first semester of Academic Year 2026–2027 had already run from July 27 through August 13, with adjustment procedures continuing afterward.
Around 3,000 students join ‘First Day Fight’
The return to physical classes was also marked by one of PUP’s most visible student mobilizations of the year.
Daily Tribune estimated that approximately 3,000 students participated in the annual First Day Fight 2026 protest in Manila on August 22.
Demonstrators called for increased government funding for education and stronger student welfare programs while also voicing opposition to the proposed National Polytechnic University Bill.
The protest placed a political spotlight on what might otherwise have been a simple first-day-of-school story.
For students, the issue was no longer only about returning to classrooms after bad weather.
It was also about what kind of university they would return to in the years ahead.
PUP’s funding fight comes amid nationwide SUC pressures
Funding concerns extend beyond PUP.
On August 17, the Department of Budget and Management announced that ₱9.753 billion had been allocated to the Commission on Higher Education to address funding deficiencies involving 108 state universities and colleges under the Free Higher Education Program.
The funds are intended to cover outstanding obligations accumulated during Academic Years 2022–2023, 2023–2024 and 2024–2025.
House Committee on Higher and Technical Education chair Jude Acidre later said delayed reimbursements can force state universities to stretch limited resources across classrooms, laboratories, libraries, research programs, faculty development and student services.
The ₱9.753-billion release is a nationwide allocation and should not be interpreted as a PUP-specific budget increase. Still, it illustrates the wider financial pressure facing public universities—the same issue students highlighted during Saturday’s demonstration.
Why students are also challenging the National Polytechnic University Bill
Another major issue raised during the First Day Fight was legislation that would strengthen PUP’s status as the country’s National Polytechnic University.
Several versions of the measure have been filed in Congress.
House Bill 9620, filed on June 2, 2026, seeks to strengthen PUP as the National Polytechnic University, repeal its existing charter under Presidential Decree No. 1341 and provide funding for the institution.
In the Senate, Senator Loren Legarda filed Senate Bill 2110 on May 6, 2026 containing a similar proposal to revise PUP’s charter and establish it as the National Polytechnic University.
Supporters argue that the legislation could give PUP greater institutional and fiscal autonomy and provide stronger government support.
PUP’s administration has said the proposed framework could provide the university with greater flexibility over teaching, research and extension programs while strengthening funding guarantees and staff welfare.
The administration has also sought to address fears that the measure could lead to privatization or tuition increases.
According to PUP’s official explanation of the bill, free tuition would continue to be protected under Republic Act 10931, while possible partnerships involving non-academic services would remain subject to government rules and consultation requirements.
Students opposing the measure, however, continue to demand greater scrutiny of its implications for university governance, commercialization and public education—making the debate far from settled.
PUP itself held stakeholder consultations on June 19 involving university officials, employees, faculty members and students, with discussions focusing on governance, institutional identity and fiscal autonomy.
More than just a first day back
Saturday’s scenes therefore told two stories at once.
One was familiar: students returning to classrooms after rain, flooding threats and repeated disruptions had complicated the opening weeks of the semester.
The other was much larger.
Thousands of those same students began the academic year demanding answers about funding, welfare and legislation that could determine how PUP is governed for decades.
After weeks when the biggest question was whether students could physically return to campus, PUP’s first full day back revealed a new question:
What kind of university will they be returning to in the future?
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