Faculty members and students plan to gather almost P158 million for the construction of their proposed building. The building will serve as the new home for the Institute of Islamic Studies and, hopefully, with a mosque in it.
The Institute of Islamic Studies was created as an integral part of Philippine Center for Advance Studies (PCAS) by the Presidential Decree 342 in 1973.
Prayer, known as Salah in Arabic, is a very important for Muslims to act on their faith and actions towards Islam. But members of UP Muslim community can hardly fulfil their faith as they were only provided with roughly five-square meter room as a makeshift prayer room.
Converting unsuitable room to a place of worship is the band-aid solution both the students and faculty are doing to have a space for worship.
“Medyo nasasaktan din kami kasi yung rights namin medyo limitado. Kahit binigyan ng kapangyarihan yung mga estudyante mag-ingay, hindi nakakaabot kung saan namin gusto iparating yung hinanaing na 'yun. Kaya naghihintay pa rin kami ng effort galing sa UP system,” student Nassif Ibra, 28, said.
Students also mentioned the deteriorating roofs and walls of their library. Reports of their building being prone to an earthquake is also a common knowledge.
“Matagal na itong building namin. Literal na naglalakad pa kami dito kahit delikado dahil sa prone ito sa lindol,” another student Aminodin Lowadot,30, said.
Battle as old as time
The University of the Philippines, as government institution, is not allowed to appropriate property for any religious sector, church or denomination.
But in 1958, Department of Justice approved the petition for a place of worship consulted by then UP President Enrique Virata. It was settled with the deal of UP Muslim Association (UP MSA), only Muslim organization in the campus, providing the rent for the construction according to a report by VERA Files.
April 2003, UPD Task Force Masjid, a group of concerned individuals representing UP MSA, IIS and Muslim students of the academe, came up with a 6,400 square meter design costing P35.5 million. On the following year, a Masjid Foundation was created to pursue the design and raise funds where former IIS Dean Carmen Abubakar served as President. Months later, the foundation was informed that based on the UP Diliman Land Use Plan of 1994, the University could no accommodate a place of worship.
Instead, former University Student Council (USC) Chairperson Rommel Romato sent a 3,000-square meter property agreement to build a Muslim-inspired dormitory with a prayer room.
According to the proposed agreement, the lease would run for 25 years with an option to be renewable if agreed by two parties.
In addition, the foundation will shoulder the tenth of the total expenses. But Romato never signed the agreed terms and conditions according to report.
Come the new administration and USC in 2006, appointed Chancellor Sergio Cao called out Romato’s failure to accept the terms on behalf of the foundation. In an interview, now London-based Romato said it was difficult to find funders who would agree to a 25-year lease. He also insisted that the concern was brought to UP administration’s attention. Cao, now no longer affiliated in UP, said refused to speak on the matter according to the VERA Files article.
No classrooms, literally
Today, students and faculty of ISS are continuing gather funds for the supposed plan of their new building.
IIS College Secretary Dr. Jamel Cayamodin said pressing issues include lack of proper facilities and the risk in the earthquake-prone building.
“In our effort, maghahanap kami, although, if you look at it, dapat UP. Kasi we need classrooms. Wala kaming classrooms, anyway. We're using a conference room, sirang-sira na mga upuan namin,” Cayamodin said. “We're using libraries as classroom. Wala kaming classrooms, literally.” Cayamodin added.
Cayamodin said the current UP Chancellor Dr. Michael L. Tan gave his go signal to raise funds in order to start the construction.
“Chancellor gave the go signal that if you have fund, you can start the building you proposed. So far, wala pa akong naririnig na commitment from UP administration to provide the, some amount of money.” Cayamodin said.
Cayamodin said they are tapping both local and international support to gather more funds. He admitted it will be difficult to ask the amount needed straight from UP’s annual budget.
On his table, Dr. Cayamodin kept a paper signed by Chancellor Tan in October 2014. It was from the symbolic marking of a tree between the UP administration and the Muslim community. It says:
“A pledge on the part of UP Diliman administration to create together with the Muslims in UP, Institute of Islamic Studies, a home in Diliman. A place for study, worship, and for the cultivation of cherished values of peace, compassion and community.”
“Hanggang ngayon tinatago ko dyan para mas nakikita ko, nabibigyan ako ng pag-asa na may chance pa rin magkaron ng building o mosque,” Cayamodin said.