A PHILOSOPHY student and Central Student Council staffer has criticized the Philippine Air Force (PAF) for filing a case against student activists, saying the action is an act of repression against those who challenge “state violence.”
In her Facebook post on Wednesday, Aug. 5, student activist Raven Racelis said PAF had filed an administrative case against Thomasian activists and had called on UST to reprimand them over a protest against a military exhibit on campus.
“The implication of this case is clear: Students who think critically, organize politically, and question state violence are to be treated as suspicious, illegitimate, and undeserving of space within the university,” she said in an open letter to PAF.
“The Filipino people bear the consequences of their actions. Therefore, the Filipino people—and students among them—have every right to question, criticize, and resist,” the student activist added.
Racelis also alleged that PAF’s executive officials had sought to remove her and fellow students Ray Manuel, Sean Capalar and Dexter Frogoso from the University.
She said the case was prompted by a heated encounter during a celebration of UST’s 415th anniversary and the PAF’s 79th anniversary on April 21, where military equipment was put on display at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building.
READ: Activists protest against Air Force exhibit at UST
Thomasian activists were escorted out of the event after they questioned the display, claiming that the gear was used for aerial bombings that violated human rights.
“It all started with a simple inquiry on weapons, until we were repeatedly red-tagged because of the questions we were asking,” Racelis said.
She also cited Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro’s remarks against her after the incident, in which the Cabinet member said he would “not tolerate” the students’ actions and that they should be disciplined by the University.
READ: Defense chief urges UST to discipline student who confronted officials during exhibit
According to Racelis, she received continuous attacks stemming from the incident and was subjected to “rape jokes, AI-generated degrading images and repeated threats.”
The activists’ actions have spurred an exchange of complaints within and outside the University.
UST Political Science instructor Marlon Villarin has filed a case before the Student Welfare and Development Committee against Racelis and fellow students Kerby Calizar and Ray Manuel for alleged student handbook violations. Villarin cited the students’ membership in an unrecognized student organization, their unauthorized protest actions inside the University and their use of UST’s name in their activities.
The students then filed a counter-complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. They alleged that they were the target of Villarin’s verbal attacks, which included “red-tagging,” the term in the Philippines that refers to red-baiting or the linking of persons or groups to communist rebels.
In her open letter, Racelis said the UST remains “neutral” in the face of these events, and has yet to issue a statement on the matter. F
