AN OFFICER of the UST Central Student Council (CSC) responded to allegations of inaction during severe flooding on campus, saying the council had appealed for a class suspension, but the administration relied on the Manila city government’s order.
“It’s clear that the admin waited for the mayor’s announcement, so I can’t call it [the petition] granted,” UST CSC Secretary and Artlets Clarence Mindo told The Flame.
“It wasn’t an outright/verbatim rejection of the petition, but it was not granted when it was needed. What followed was continuous monitoring of the weather and early shifting to EVM (enriched virtual mode) for some academic units,” he added.
This comes after Mindo said he saw online posts that sought to “sow hatred” and “maligned” the efforts of the student council.
In his open letter to the Thomasian community, Mindo clarified that the CSC acted early, saying the petition for class suspension had already been submitted to UST officials as early as 7 a.m on Monday, Aug. 17.
Mindo added that members of the student body also made efforts physically, as some waded through the floodwaters to distribute food to students stranded in various campus facilities.
“I personally check on students stranded in QPAV (Quadricentennial Pavilion), Carpark, Chapel (Santísimo Rosario Parish), BGPOP (Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building) and (Beato Angelico Building),” he said.
The CSC secretary urged students to redirect their frustrations toward public officials rather than student bodies.
“We are also victims of the same system that causes our hardships,” he said.
A point administrator from the UST Purchasing Office told The Flame that the severe flooding left nearly 5,000 students stranded on campus due to the delayed suspension of college classes.
The UST official also said that the University relies on the local government announcements to determine when to suspend classes.
READ: Nearly 5,000 Thomasians stranded due to late class suspensions, says UST official
Similar concerns raised
The UST CSC and Local Student Councils condemned the Manila government’s delayed class suspension, saying students’ safety should not be compromised in the pursuit of education.
The student bodies called on the city administration to protect students regardless of year level, age, or educational institution.
This comes after Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso initially suspended classes from kindergarten to senior high school on Sunday, Aug. 16. Classes at the collegiate level continued on-site until the suspension was announced around noon on Monday, Aug. 17, when floodwaters began to rise.
“The moment the LGU (local government unit) and the University allowed its constituents to step out of their homes to travel to school despite these conditions, they consciously placed their stakeholders—students, faculty, and support staff—in grave danger,” the council said in a statement on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
“This in itself defeats the same purpose they had in mind in suspending class midday,” it added.
The student councils also urged the government to reflect on the incident, saying that it should not be repeated. F —Bai Jehann Maharaynie Paz
