Last January 18, the UST-SHS administration sanctioned a council member over a Facebook post in support of academic ease. The student was dismissed from his position, will not be readmitted for the next school year, and will not be given a Certificate of Good Moral Character. 

Days after news broke out about the dismissal, two more Senior High School students were given show-cause notices by being allegedly involved in an unrecognized organization. 

Despite heavy backlash after the sanctions, the University administration is likely to target more students in an attempt to diminish the growing number of critical voices among its students calling for pro-student policies and government accountability amidst the current health, education, and economic crises. The State is at the forefront of silencing dissent and further limiting the already limited democratic space we have. This is not the time for division, instead we must unite and collectively call on the government to address the people’s concerns. With this, we call on the University to overturn the decisions on the basis of exercising leniency in the practice of democratic freedoms. 

Amidst the worsening pandemic where students are faced with more difficulties as a result of the government’s insistence on continuing the already inaccessible education through online classes and an intensifying political climate where students who exercise their rights are put in danger by being red-tagged, intimidated, or kept under surveillance, we enjoin the University to stand with us and fight these State attacks on academic freedom and democratic rights. We urge the University to not enable these dastardly acts against the youth and students.

The University, with its long history of student activism, witnessed the fight against tuition fee increases, mandatory ROTC, Lumad killings and militarization of ancestral lands, corruption in government, and human rights violations. It was also instrumental in the downfall of dictators, with its students at the forefront of forwarding the plight of the masses. Similarly, UST has stood alongside the people’s struggles, evident in their resounding voice on issues like the Anti-Terror Law and press freedom following the termination of ABS-CBN’s franchise. In fact, we laud the University for standing up against the State in its recent attacks on academic freedom in schools. UST, the oldest Catholic university in Asia, must forward and practice the social teachings of the Church through the advancement of social justice and respect to the Constitutionally-vested rights of citizens.  

With this, we challenge the University to stay true to its word of recognizing and upholding the people’s constitutionally-guaranteed right to speech, organization, and assembly by encouraging, instead of limiting, the students’ capacity and opportunity to participate in activities towards nation building. Now more than ever, our current political situation calls for the most resonant of voices which are present in the voice of the Thomasian students and will further be amplified with the administration standing in solidarity. We call on UST to uphold the principle that schools must be a safe haven for the free flow of ideas, especially critical and progressive ideas, towards the moulding of competent and compassionate individuals committed in serving the marginalized.

#CompassionNotRepression #DefendAcademicFreedom #UpholdStudentDemocraticRights