Amid tuition and other fee increases (TOFI) this academic year 2025-2026, Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) students voiced concerns over the lack of transparency on the new ₱200 Global Citizenship Fee (GCF) intended to fund internationalization and global integration efforts.
Based on the Global Citizenship Fund Governance and Accountability Framework provided by the Ateneo Internationalization (AIM), the Global Citizenship Fund Committee (GCFC) under their office oversees the fund with representatives from all academic units and provisions for regular reports, audits, and an 80–20 allocation system.
AIM stated that the GCF reflects the university’s step toward embedding internalization as a lasting part of student formation, with the ₱200 fee described as “modest and meaningful” and collected annually for basic education and per semester for higher education.
AIM also highlighted that the fee was included in the university’s official tuition proposal submitted to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and reviewed with student representatives to follow CHED’s transparency and participation policies.
“Rather than functioning as a fee-for-service model, the GCF serves as a shared community contribution to a collective fund that supports students applying for mission-aligned international formation.”
The office added that the fund aims to make participation in international and global formation programs accessible to students based on preparation, merit, and commitment rather than privilege.
“Oversight is shared among the AIM Office, the Finance Office, and the GCFC, and applications are reviewed through a structured and mission-driven process,” AIM said.
Despite these assurances, students remained confused and skeptical about the fee’s unclear purpose and details.
Clyde*, a first-year BS Nursing student and Jubilee Scholarship Fund (JSF) scholar, revealed that he was unaware of the charge and found the implementation lacking in transparency.
“I was not aware of this fee. It’s confusing—if it’s not in the breakdown, then why?” he asked.
He acknowledged benefitting from scholarship support, but his lack of information on fee usage seemed unfair to paying students.
“As a scholar, I benefit from other students’ payments, but it’s unfair if they don’t even know where their money goes,”
Clyde* stressed that ₱200 becomes substantial when multiplied by the university’s total student population.
“₱200 isn’t little when you think of how many students Ateneo has. A class usually has around 30 people, multiply that across the university, and you’ll see how big that amount becomes. That’s why transparency is so important,” he added.
Another scholar, a first-year Grant-in-Aid (GIA) recipient who requested anonymity, shared similar sentiments.
“I’m shocked about this, to be honest. I know I benefit from what full-paying students are getting from their own pockets as a scholar, but they know that, and hopefully they understand,” they said.
The scholar added that the new fee feels unfair to students already burdened by tuition hikes and rising living expenses.
“This is just unfair to them. I think transparency shouldn’t come as an afterthought, it should have been there before the collection even started.”
AIM emphasized that the fund remains in its “soft-launch phase,” finalizing pilot systems and the online portal.
“The portal will enable students to apply for funding, track participation, and share feedback. Once fully operational, we plan to consult student councils to strengthen participatory governance,” the office explained.
Currently, the GCF Committee does not have student representatives due to the “confidentiality of financial documents.”
However, AIM said that their office is exploring ways to include student participation through advisory groups, limited-scope representation, or structured policy consultations.
Editor’s note: Names marked with asterisks are pseudonyms used at the request of the interviewees. This article was first issued in the December 2025 First Semester Newsletter of Atenews.