Silliman University has committed to reimburse the cost of the airline tickets of 30 students amounting to a little more than P90,000 for an exposure trip to Manila that was cancelled two days before their flight on Feb. 28.
Mass Communication Dean Dr. Ma. Cecilia Genove clarified that the reason for the cancellation of the exposure trip was in line with the series of tragic vehicular accidents that had happened recently in Luzon involving field trips.
She added that some lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate have urged the Commission on Higher Education to issue a moratorium on field trips, pending investigation on the accidents.
She added that while the exposure trip would have allowed her students to witness the real world of the communication industry, especially that many in the group will be doing their internship this summer, she said that Silliman President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III strongly believes it is deemed fit for the University to cancel the activity so that Silliman would not appear insensitive on the issue of safety and security during field trips.
In a top-level meeting Friday afternoon with the adviser of the classes going on the exposure trip, President Malayang stressed that the University is taking full responsibility on the matter, and that the University will exhaust all means possible to refund to the students the amount their parents had spent for the airfare.
The University had decided to give the students two options: rebook their tickets, the charges of which will be paid for by the University; or get a refund through tuition credits starting June, or starting immediately for the graduating seniors who were supposed to go on the trip, pending the reply from the airline.
Not a few of the mass communication students expressed on social media (Facebook and Twitter) about their frustrations over the cancellation, after news items that CHED will not ban school field trips were published in the national and regional dailies. The reports also quoted Commissioner Patricia Licuanan as saying that “off-campus activities are vital to learning”.
The students have asked the University for a full refund of their tickets, or have the amount deducted from their tuition fees. Other affected students commented that their parents, who had given them prior consent to go on the field trip, should have been consulted first before the University made the decision to cancel the exposure trip.
Meanwhile, President Malayang has sent a letter of appeal to the airline company Cebu Pacific, requesting for a favorable action on their request for a possible refund of the tickets.
Dr. Genove said that while the University is awaiting the outcome of the appeal, it will abide by the airline’s policies, considering that most of the parents bought “promo” (reduced-price) tickets for their students. Promo tickets are considered non-refundable and non-transferrable.
As a regular/loyal corporate client of Cebu Pacific, Silliman University is optimistic it will get a favorable response from the airline company.
