In 1996, the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP or STAND UP, was founded to revive the original pro-student and pro-people spirit of the SAMASA or Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan.
SAMASA began as a University-wide alliance of student organizations campaigning for the return of student institutions such as the Student Councils. When the USC was reestablished in 1981, SAMASA won landslide victories in that election and in several elections after.
However, SAMASA began to lose the support of the student body after it began to lose sight of its basic principles, such as a sharp analysis connecting local campus issues with national issues.
Such problems came to head when SAMASA formally split into 2 in 1995, SAMASA and SAMASA-TMMA (Tunay Militante Makabayang Alyansa). The 7 organizations which initially formed SAMASA-TMMA seeked to go back to the original principles of SAMASA. In 1996, SAMASA-TMMA became STAND-UP.
STAND UP has always been at the forefront of the struggles of the students and the people. It was the first alliance to call for the ouster of corrupt ex-President Joseph Estrada in 1999, and Gloria Arroyo in 2004. As of present, it is the only student alliance in UP Diliman to join the only youth partylist in the Philippines, Kabataan Partylist.
It is also the only Alliance in UP Diliman to consistently oppose the series of UP budget cuts from 2000 to 2005, commercialization schemes such as laboratory and dorm fee increases, and the Tuition and Other Fee Increases in 2006.
STAND UP is guided by the basic principle of EDUCATION IS A RIGHT and advocates a NATIONALIST, SCIENTIFIC, and MASS ORIENTED educational system over the present COMMERCIALIZED, COLONIAL AND REPRESSIVE system.
