What eating Pancit Canton and Fish Balls teaches you about UP

There is comfort in seeing newsstands. Between running with a heavy bag and an armful of books from Lagmay Hall to Benitez to a final stop at my internship office in Palma Hall, kiosks have become a resting place. These iconic yellow stalls offer a place to pause, breathe and enjoy the simple pleasure of a combination of pancit canton and fishballs.

I had the funniest conversations with my boyfriend while we waited in line, a way to cope with each day away from our families. In those queues we think about what we are going to do after university and escape the stress of sitting in makeshift chairs. Like many students, I survived hectic days there. But most of all, I felt reassured that despite rising commodity prices on campus, I still had something to fall back on.

But even that is under threat.

Stallholders along Fernandez Street, between Lagmay Hall and Palma Hall, are at risk displacement after inspectors of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development said they violated business conduct rules for having kitchen and table arrangements. The officers said that according to the business permit application, vendors are not allowed to occupy spaces outside the four corners of their stalls, despite their small space.

This is the same scheme that happened recently Area 2where sales materials were seized without warning on the orders of OVCCA and the Quezon City government. These clearing operations are taking place in the context of the increasing commercialization of the University, especially with the upcoming opening of DiliMall in August.

In light of these problems, we are forced to waste money where we could get affordable food if these “cleanup” programs continue. There isn’t much place to have lunch, let alone eat on campus. Any free space is usually used as parking for cars driving on campus roads.

Some are forced to get food from malls like UP Town Center, which are home to food chains, but it is pricey to dine there regularly. It was during these times that my friend and I started talking about how UPD for children of low-income working parents is becoming a place we force ourselves into, rather than where we belong. It sometimes feels like the campus is increasingly becoming a place that only the rich and privileged can enjoy.

In a place where we have to make our dreams come true, we become strangers to the university. But it’s not just us. Vendors are also alienated and forced to leave the places where they have provided services to students like us who are working on our dreams.

Sometimes I wonder if I can continue my education if the university denies students like me their rights even more than we already do. Because kiosks are more than just food suppliers. Students shared and created their stories in those iconic yellow stalls. And in those kiosks, we found comfort in food and memories we crave while away from home. ●