UP football player Bethany Talbot defends herself against 'Burgis na nasa UP' comment
Bethany Talbot, a model and football player on the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons team, has addressed users calling her "burgis" and questioning why she's studying at the state university.
On her TikTok account, the UP Diliman student filmed herself reacting to a comment from a user who wrote, "Burgis na nasa UP? Lololol." The term "burgis" is slang from the French word "bourgeoisie," referring to those in the middle class and upper class.
"I find it quite sad that I'm having to defend myself as to why I deserve to study in UP," Talbot began.
While she affirmed that she is indeed part of the middle class, she stressed that her family still experiences financial woes.
"I've been able to study in good private schools up until high school, but that doesn't mean that my family hasn't struggled financially along the way. My dad is a retired senior citizen and my mom works abroad to support us all," Talbot said.
"Sana nga talaga burgis kami para hindi kailangang magtrabaho abroad 'yung nanay ko," she added.
She went on to explain that while she passed the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT), she was admitted into the Diliman campus as an athlete.
"I have sacrificed my literal blood, sweat, and tears for this school, so in the first place, wala po akong nakuhang slot sa regular students kasi atleta po ako," Talbot said.
"But can I just say, kahit regular student ako, hindi pa rin afford ng parents ko ang tuition ng mga pribadong unibersidad kagaya ng Ateneo o La Salle, but that's besides the point," she continued.
Regarding her other videos on social media that "prove" her bourgeoisie life, Talbot said, "Dahil po lahat 'yun sa trabaho ko. I am a working student who started working when I was already studying in UP."
"Lahat po ng binibili ko, ng nagagawa ko, dahil 'yun sa trabaho ko, and I am so beyond lucky that I am able to have this line of work. Self-sustaining student po ako, and tumutulong din po ako sa pamilya ko sa kaya ko," she underscored.
Talbot is referring to her job as an endorser, being a member of the Professional Models Association of the Philippines since 2022.
She further emphasized that she is not claiming to be poor nor is she denying her privileges, but she only wanted people to refrain from judging her on the surface level.
"Naiintindihan ko po na hindi kayo sang-ayon sa mga mayayamang pamilya na pumipili ng UP, pero sana naman hindi kayo mang-atake ng random na estudyante tulad ko na hindi niyo naman alam kung bakit ako nag-aaral sa UP," she said.
Should UP be only for the underprivileged?
Whether or not people from rich families can study at UP has long been the subject of heated debates online.
In 2017, former president Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 10931 providing free tuition and other school fees in state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges.
"As the national university, UP is funded by the Philippine government. With this, the tuition fees of UP students are minimal," the official website of the school detailed.
Additionally, UP's Office of Student Development Services, formerly known as the Socialized Tuition Office, provides financial assistance programs, scholarship opportunities, and learning assistance packages.
Because of this, there are some who believe that UP aspirants who are well-off should give way to the less privileged.
"I studied in a private school and noticed a lot of people in my batch and previous batches are studying in UP. Though it’s not wrong to study in one of the top universities in the country, I feel like they should give chances to students who can’t afford to pay for tuition," one Reddit user said.
"I just think that the ratio of public school students should be more than private school students because this is their opportunity to make a difference in their life through quality education and they should be afforded that chance," they added.
Others argued that whether someone is poor or rich does not matter as they deserve to be there if they pass the UPCAT.
"Education is for everyone. Just because it's a university supposedly catered to the poor doesn't make it exclusively for the poor only," a Reddit user stressed.
Talbot's fans meanwhile expressed their support for the athlete and advised her to ignore those downplaying her qualifications.
"Don’t mind them. One of the core values na tinuturo upon entering UP is equality. No matter what background ka galing. Kung gusto nilang mag-aral sa UP, pass muna nila ang UPCAT," one user said.
Actress Sofia Andres also commented, "Proud of you. Very humble!"