Kabataan Partylist-Southern Mindanao

30/08/2026

[KABATAAN IN THE NEWS] Gipamugos sa pundok sa Kabataan Partylist pinaagi ni Cobbie Jan Canda ang paghunong na sa paggahin og pondo sa NTF-ELCAC nga nagkantidad og 8.1 billion pesos tungod sa matud pa kawalay klarong transparency ug sa peligro nga magamit lamang kini sa korapsyon sa pipila ka militar. Dugang pa sa opisyal, imbes nga magdala og seguridad, gigamit lang ang maong pondo alang sa pagpangatake, surveillance, ug pagpanghadlok sa mga progresibong grupo sama sa nahitabo sa Southern Mindanao Region. Gisaway usab ni Canda ang kawala'y klarong accomplishment sa maong ahensya taliwala sa dako nga pondong ginahatag sa mga barangay nga giingong insurgency-free. Tungod niini, nagtuo ang batan-ong lider nga mas angay nga ibalhin na lamang ang maong pondo sa serbisyo sa edukasyon ug mga programang makatabang sa krisis sa ekonomiya sa nasud

30/08/2026

[KABATAAN IN THE NEWS] Gihagit sa Kabataan Partylist pinaagi ni Cobbie Jan Canda ang mga magbabalaod nga usbon ang prayoridad ug ipondo ang kwarta sa katawhan karong budget season sa edukasyon, panlawas, ug sweldo sa mga mamumuo.Gipadayag sa batan-ong lider nga katingad-an ang paglaslas sa badyet sa agrikultura ug mga batakang serbisyo taliwala sa gilauman nga pagdako sa nasudnong badyet gikan sa 6.7 trillion pesos ngadto sa 7.2 trillion pesos.

28/08/2026

SUCS IN DAVAO REGION TO RECEIVE BUDGET INCREASE? BUT DID IT REALLY?

5 out of 6 SUCs in Davao Region to get projected increase in budget for fiscal year 2027. All except Davao del Norte State College receive increases ranging from 0.9% to 22.66%.

In total, there is an increase of 5.37%; however, after accounting for the region's 8.4% inflation, the actual budget for SUCs drops below the previous year's budget.

Additionally, based on the 2026 KPL-SMR findings, last year's total budget proposal was set at more than 12 billion pesos. Considering this, the current budget of SUCs in the Davao region is only at a little more than one-fourth of that. A slap in the face of Dabawenyo iskos and iskas.

24/08/2026

HEI ENROLLMENT TREND IN DAVAO REGION!

There is a huge disparity between the number of public Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and private HEIs in the country. In Davao Region, only 24 of the 106 of the HEIs in the region are public, of which 6 are main SUCs while the rest are satellite campuses or Local University or College (LUC).

With the steady increase in enrollees, the accessibility of education remains a far cry for most of the Filipino youth. In the Academic Year 2024-2025, there was an 18.81% increase in enrollees. Out of the almost 300,000 enrollees in the region, only 31.5% of these are in public HEIs, with the 6 main SUCs housing more than two-thirds of this at 63,547.

Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, provides for free tuition and other school fees in public HEIs. However, the reality for the education sector is it remains underprioritized and underfunded. This inadequate budget results to education that is not genuinely free, quality, and accessible.

As such, we continue to advocate for a higher budget in the education sector. We must condemn any form of budget cuts and call for the abolition of all pork-barrel and corruption-plagued line items in our government's yearly budget.

The right to education shouldn’t be taken away from someone based on their academic standing, economic background, religion, among others. The right to education should be enjoyed by every Filipino youth.

24/08/2026

PRESS RELEASE
Cobbie Jan Canda
Chairperson, KPL Southern Mindanao
24 August 26

Current developments in the senate impeachment court show the longstanding attitude and abuse by Sara Duterte not only as a vice president but even during her tenure as City Mayor or Davao City.

Gina Acosta has confirmed that even as Mayor, the office of Sara Duterte has been releasing Confidential and Intelligence Funds to the security officer all whilst producing reports based merely on acknowledgement receipts and not any form of official receipts. We suspect that the same violations to the Joint Circular has been made when Sara was mayor. With 612.5 million as vice president and secretary of education, and a total of more than 2.6 billion in CIF during her tenure as Davao Mayor in 2016-2022.

This reveals a pattern. The office of Sara Duterte has continuously violated the joint circular of COA which states only SDO or the head of agency can disburse these funds, as well as how the CIF should be used. A more daunting question is the effectivity of the CIF in securing a better future for the Filipino youth. Not only does it fail to make our lives better, but history has shown that it has only been used as a cache of corruption of these government officials.

Maintenance of safe houses at 16 million for 11 days? 75 million in supplies, medical and food aid? Most of Filipino people won't even get a chance to own, so much as touch, this sum of money in their lifetime. And here we are with government officials who act like spoiled brats, using the people's money.

Both Duterte and Marcos alike are abusing these funds to fund themselves, stealing away the future of the youth.

Beyond the funny names and dubious spendings, we must assert that the existence of such funds hasn't made our lives better. These billions in CIF could and should be reallocated to education, social services, healthcare, etc.

24/08/2026

[KABATAAN IN THE NEWS] Meanwhile, Kabataan Partylist Southern Mindanao Chairperson Cobbie Jan Canda challenged narratives of strong leadership by pointing to Davao’s history of alleged extrajudicial killings, political violence and red-tagging, noting that most narratives within the city are tied to the Duterte administration’s culture of violence.

“This culture of fascism and impunity, and this culture of violence, has been the stepping stone for the Duterte dynasty to propel themselves up to the national level, resulting in it being propagated and popularized on a national scale.”

Examining the state of democracy in Davao City, researchers from Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) explored locals’ experiences of authority and

19/08/2026

[KABATAAN IN THE NEWS] Giisip sa pundok sa Kabataan Partylist nga morag usa ka mini Charter Change ang planong pag-oktaba pag-usab sa Barangay ug Sangguniang Kabataan Elections karong Nobyembre.

Gisaway ni Cobbie Jan Canda sa maong kapunongan ang rason sa mga sakop sa Kongreso bahin sa financial crisis ug gubat sa Middle East tungod kay dili kini katuhoan ug nagpalaum lamang sa katawhan.

Gipahayag sa batan-ong lider nga nakagasto man gani og bilyon-bilyong peso sa korapsyon, apan nganong babagan man hinuon ang pondo sa demokratikong katungod sa mga tawo sa pagpili og bag-ong lider.

Dugang pa ni Canda, pinaagi sa maong lakang gipalawig lamang ang term limit sa mga nakalingkod nga opisyal sa barangay ug SK.

Giisip sa pundok sa Kabataan Partylist nga morag usa ka mini Charter Change ang planong pag-oktaba pag-usab sa Barangay ug Sangguniang Kabataan Elections karong Nobyembre. Gisaway ni Cobbie Jan Canda sa maong kapunongan ang rason sa mga sakop sa Kongreso bahin sa financial crisis ug gubat sa Middle....

18/08/2026

NEP 2027 IS OUT! 🤔

Let us take note of these important terms as we traverse the budget season this fiscal year! 😮

In our initial analysis, we determined that this year's NEP does not have any substantial difference from the other budgets passed by the Marcos Administration; it is still anti-people, filled with budget cuts across important sectors and services, as well as the resurgence of corruption-prone flood control projects.

Our call remains the same:
No to Budget Cuts in the Education Sector!
Fund Basic Social Services!
Abolish Pork! Lahat ng Sangkot, Dapat Managot!
Marcos-Duterte Panagutin!

17/08/2026

𝗗𝗜𝗟𝗜 𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗢𝗗 𝗡𝗚𝗔 𝗔𝗠𝗨𝗠𝗔 𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗬𝗢𝗡!

𝗣𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗬𝗔𝗚 𝗦𝗔 𝗞𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 – 𝗨𝗣 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗢 𝗦𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗚𝗣𝗨𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗚 𝗣𝗔𝗚𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗡 𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗚𝗔 𝗜𝗦𝗞𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗟 𝗦𝗔 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘

Ginakondena sa Kabataan Partylist UP Mindanao ang mga pagpangharang ug pagpugong ug mga estudyante sa administrasyon sa UP Mindanao batok sa First Day Rage sa pagsugod sa bag-ong academic year. Imbis nga hatagan og luna ang mga estudyante aron ipadayag ang ilang mga panawagan, naghimo ang administrasyon og mga pamaagi aron dili dayon madayon ang kalihukan, lakip ang pagkasa og parents’ orientation nga mahimong nakahatag og negatibong framing sa kalihukan ug sa mga estudyanteng naningil sa ilang mga katungod, ug ang pagpahugot sa seguridad sa adlaw mismo sa First Day Rage.

Sa mismong kalihukan, mas klaro ang pagpugong sa dihang gibarikadahan sa security ang mga estudyanteng misaka sa stage nga nagdala sa ilang mga balatengga sa panawagan. Giharangan sila aron dili madala sa entablado ang ilang mga panawagan, apan nakapumiglas ang mga estudyante ug nadayon gihapon ang ilang kolektibong pagpahayag. Dili pa igo ang pagharang kay samtang nagpadayon ang batbat, gipakusgan usab ang volume sa sound system hinungdan na nakapalisod sa pagpaminaw sa mensahe sa mga nanawagan.

Unsa man gyud ang angay kahadlokan sa administrasyon sa tingog sa mga estudyante? Ang atong gipangayo dili man espesyal nga pribilehiyo. Nanawagan kita alang sa Basic Student Services, sufficient student housing, accessible health services, ug lig-on nga mental health support nga mga batakang panginahanglan aron makapadayon ang mga Iskolar ng Bayan sa ilang pag-eskwela. Kung mao kini ang panawagan sa mga estudyante, nganong kinahanglan man kini pugngan, harangan, o tabunan?

Mas makapapangutana kini ilabina sa pagdala sa UP Mindanao sa konsepto nga “Amuma.” Kung tinuod nga naga-amuma ang unibersidad sa mga estudyante, angay unta nga ang tubag sa ilang panawagan mao ang pagpaminaw, dayalogo, ug konkretong aksyon. Dili barikada, dili pagpahugot sa seguridad, ug dili pagpataas sa volume aron malumos ang ilang tingog. Dili mahimong amuma ang usa ka sistema nga mas gipili ang pagpugong kaysa pagpaminaw sa mga estudyanteng naningil alang sa ilang katungod.

Busa, ang among kalampag sa administrasyon sa UP Mindanao: undangi ang pagpangharang sa kolektibong tingog sa mga estudyante. Paminawa ang panawagan. Tubaga ang mga panginahanglan. Ipakita ang “Amuma” pinaagi sa konkretong serbisyo ug aksyon. Ipadayon nato ang paningil alang sa tinuod, aksesable, ug de-kalidad nga edukasyon nga katungod sa matag Iskolar ng Bayan.

Kay kung ang mga estudyanteng nanawagan alang sa ilang katungod maoy inyong pugngan, kinsa man gyud ang inyong gi-amuma?

12/08/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

For so many of us at UP Mindanao, the 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐁. 𝐋𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐳 (EBL) dormitory was never just a temporary landing pad, it served as a solace, lifeline even, away from the burden of living costs never getting any lower.

It was where we learned how to survive, how to lean on each other when the academic pressure threatened to drown us, and how to build a sanctuary out of messy desks and bunk beds.

But as a new academic year looms, the sentimentality comes fueled with the bitter truth that the administration's policies have quietly locked us out from the very doors that gave comfort after a heavy day of academic workload.

This eviction is not an isolated administrative decision; it is a direct manifestation of the systemic underfunding and state budget cuts choking higher education evident in state universities across the country. When national allocations for state universities are repeatedly slashed, student welfare is the first item on the chopping block. This systemic issue over the administration operates under the absurd assumption that after 365 days, a student magically acquires financial immunity, local support networks, or insulation from inflation. This administrative sleight of hand offloads the institutional responsibility of basic welfare onto an unregulated off-campus market, weaponizing scarcity to manage a crisis born of systemic neglect and student welfare.

A student does not exist in an academic vacuum; a student is also a commuter navigating soaring transport fares and a consumer crushed by an unforgiving economy. Public university housing is designed to shield students from these exact structural vulnerabilities; it is an essential equalizer that makes tertiary education achievable for the marginalized.

Step outside the gates of EBL, and students are immediately swallowed by commercial rental rates where shelter, water, electricity, and internet are carved into separate, bleeding bills. For commuters traveling from distant provinces or the outer districts of Davao City, the choice forced by administrative austerity is determined by: paying exorbitant fees, endure draining commutes, or abandon their degree entirely.

Housing is not a luxury to be rationed, nor is it a temporary privilege because it is an indispensable pillar of accessible education and a core obligation of the state.

The university must actively protect its students from market forces. The UP Mindanao administration must cut through the bureaucratic red tape to open all available housing facilities and overhaul its residency policies to guarantee affordable campus housing for all financially vulnerable students, regardless of year level. Until housing is treated as a continuous student right, the gates of EBL will stand not as a symbol of welcome, but as a boundary line between institutional indifference and the harsh realities of student life.

Until policies are overhauled and basic rights are secured, our struggle continues. We call on the entire UP Mindanao community to take a stand by joining 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟕 (Convocation Day) 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦. Defend public education and the fight for continuous student welfare.✊