THE FACULTY of Arts and Letters Board of Majors (AB BOM) called for institutional accountability and a shift towards anticipatory disaster management following the recent flooding in Manila that paced students at risk.
The Artlets student leaders criticized both the UST administration and the Manila city government for what they called their “reactive decision-making,” saying student safety was compromised by delayed class suspensions.
“We believe that no student or Filipino should have to endure preventable risks simply because timely action was not taken,” the AB BOM said in a statement posted on Facebook on Aug. 28.
“More than a response after the fact, what our communities deserve is proactive leadership, genuine representation, and accountability.”
Nearly 5,000 Thomasians were left stranded on campus on Aug. 17 because of heavy flooding that blocked the university gates.
READ: Nearly 5,000 Thomasians stranded due to late class suspensions, says UST official
The board pointed out that while basic education shifted to online in advance, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso only suspended classes for higher education at 10 a.m. The suspension took effect at 12:00 p.m.
The local government unit, the board added, must ensure the safety of college students when announcing class suspensions as they “are not immune to hazards.”
“The University must recognize that its responsibility for the safety and welfare of its students does not begin only when a suspension is officially declared by the local government,” the statement added.
The Artlets board also attributed the flooding to other causes such as environmental plunder, corruption, compromised public infrastructure and misallocated resources.
“Tackling this crisis requires more than reactive disaster management; it demands an immediate halt to destructive environmental practices and uncompromising transparency in public spending,” the group said. F
