A MEMBER of the family of UST Physical Therapy (PT) senior Junver Toledo, who passed away on May 17, demanded accountability from the University administration and assailed its supposed lack of initiative to proactively address the well-being of its students.
Marwin Pascua, Toledo’s brother-in-law, denounced UST’s recent statement on the incident, dismissing it as a mere “damage control” effort and an attempt to protect the name of the University.
“Have some compassion. Take accountability. You’re making it sound like a ‘you’ problem instead of owning [up] to it, to your faculty’s incompetence. I feel no sympathy at all from your official statement, it’s all just damage control. Stop…the lies (to) protect the name of your institution if you ever truly cared about your students,” Pascua said in a comment to the University’s statement issued on May 22.
“You dropped the ball so badly. Your lack of communication, lack of initiative, and lack of real concern are appalling,” he added.
The Flame has reached out to the UST administration for comment but has yet to receive a response as of writing.
Toledo, a fourth-year student from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS), reportedly took his own life after failing a subject for the second time, according to a note he had left, which his father, Oliver Toledo, posted on Facebook.
Three days later, the University issued a statement to extend its condolences to Toledo’s family. It also expressed readiness to provide support for Thomasians through its mental health professionals.
“We remain committed to the well-being of all our stakeholders. Our counselors stand ready to provide support to Thomasian students, especially during these trying times. Our stakeholders are also assisted by our University psychiatrists and psychologists from our institutional and volunteer groups,” the Dominican-run institution said.
Pascua claimed that CRS had known about Toledo’s situation since late 2024. He added that Toledo had pleaded to his college for additional projects to improve his grade but his request was rejected.
“Junver was in constant communication with your faculty when he made that heartbreaking decision. Always ‘refer to counseling,’ ‘pray for you,’ [and] ‘reach out to someone.’ It’s not enough. It should be proactive, not reactive,” Pascua said.
“It was a cry for help, and you blatantly ignored it,” he added.
According to Pascua, no University official reached out to Toledo’s family to inform them of his “alarming emotional state.”
“The family had no idea at all until that tragic day, being the quiet kid that he is, that he was already suffering emotionally. But he found the courage to tell you, and nobody even tried to inform his family,” he said.
‘Clinicians, not robots’
Citing the teachers’ expertise in healthcare, Pascua said professors should set a stronger example in handling their students’ academic stress and mental health concerns.
“PT professors aren’t just educators but also clinicians by trade and should be held to a higher standard, especially when it comes to dealing with something as serious as this… You’re dealing with a high-risk age group when it comes to mental health crises. You are training human beings, future clinicians, not robots,” he said.
Former UST vice rector Fr. Virgilio Ojoy, O.P. called for a change in the academic policies.
He said the University should establish a faculty council to allow a “collegial decision” to determine whether students should pass a particular subject.
“This would give students a venue to protect themselves from controlling professors or professors who have an axe to grind on certain students. In this way, the passing or failing of students, their being able to graduate or not, or, in rare cases such as this, their life and death, should not depend on one person,” Ojoy commented on UST’s statement.
Born on June 12, 2002, Toledo graduated from the Philippine Science High School in Cagayan Valley. His wake will be held at Funeraria Gambito in Bayombong until Sunday, May 25. F — Christian Querol
[…] READ: Brother-in-law of late PT student accuses UST of ‘lack of real concern,’ seeks accountability […]