UNFAZED BY heavy rains caused by a thunderstorm that brought floods to various parts of Metro Manila, hundreds of Thomasians walked out of their classes to join a university-wide protest against corruption in public work projects on Monday, Sept. 29.
The UST walkout protest, the first in more than two decades, was organized by the Central Student Council (CSC) to express the Thomasians’ “collective indignation” against the multi-billion peso flood control anomalies.
“It’s the students’ decision to walk out, that is what prompted us. If the students want to walk out, [then] why don’t we walk out [too],” CSC president Annie Nicholle Agon told The Flame.
Chants of “Ikulong na yan, mga kurakot! (Jail the corrupt)” and “Laban USTe, laban sa korapsyon (Fight UST, Fight corruption)” echoed throughout the campus as the student-led protests weaved through the streets from the Fr. Roque Ruano building to the Plaza Mayor.
The protest came after the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University staged similar mass demonstrations in their respective campuses.
Agon said all corrupt officials must be punished, whether they are in positions of power or part of flagged construction firms.
“They will be held accountable not only for stealing money from the people but also from the future of the people,” Agon said.
Thomasians last held a university-wide walk out protest in 2001, sparked by the death of UST engineering student Mark Welson Chua, who exposed corruption, bribery and extortion practices of his Reserve Officer Training Corps unit.
Student orgs join protest
Various student councils and organizations within UST aired their calls for students and administrators to support the protest in a solidarity statement issued on Aug. 28.
Hartnell Madarang, president of the Faculty of Philosophy Students Forum, said students from the Ecclesiastical Faculties joined the protest because of their responsibility to fight for what is right.
“The voice of [Ecclesiastical Faculties] is really loud when it comes to these types of rallies, especially that this is UST. This is also part of our unity with the whole Tomasino community, that [Ecclesiastical Faculties] is with them,” Madarang told The Flame.
Madarang said corrupt leaders lead people farther from God himself as they prevent people from experiencing life to the fullest.
“I expect that our leaders will lend an ear, especially for us in [the Ecclesiastical Faculties], I hope they will be bothered by theyr conscience,” the student leader added.
Philosophy freshman Raven Racelis, a member of Kabataan Partylist’s chapter in UST, said Thomasians were influenced by the walkout protests in other universities that encouraged fellow students to be politically aware.
Although some of the groups that organized the protest were not recognized by the University, including the UST chapter of Kabataan Partylist, Racelis said there is nothing wrong with the status, citing the participation of many Thomasians at the protest.
Aside from condemning corruption, the protest action asserted important values that Thomasians hold dear, Brooks Relles, spokesman of the UST chapter of Akbayan Youth, said.
“Thomasians are tired of seeing public money stolen while ordinary Filipinos suffer. We are sending a message: we refuse to be silent, and we refuse to be complicit. The youth will not stand by while corruption destroys our future,” Relles said in a statement.
Cancelled classes
A few hours before the start of the walkout protest, AB Dean Melanie Turingan excused students who would walk out from their 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. classes.
Teaching personnel of some faculties and colleges also supported the protest by cancelling their classes.
One of them was College of Education Assoc. Prof. Carmina Vicente, who viewed the event as an exercise or students’ rights.
“The University acknowledges the rights of the students, it is not mere activism. It’s about the rights of the students. To gather and also to fight for what is right, what is just,” Vicente said.
The flood control fiasco prompted College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) Assoc. Prof. Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi to join the student-led protest and to encourage her students to become aware of the issue.
Creative Writing instructor Benjo Gutierrez also supported requests to be excused from his class after his students sent him dozens of messages informing him of their absence.
For Gutierrez, his students’ participation in the walkout reflected the need for aspiring writers to have a clear stance on national politics.
“As a writer, we need to be clear with our stances in politics, especially with what’s happening in our country today. I honestly think that before becoming a writer, one must first be human. And as a human, you have to take part in these types of activities,” he said.
The Creative Writing instructor also encouraged fellow faculty members to allow their students to join the protests as the flood-control anomalies have affected education.
“When classes stop due to flooding, that also means that education stops… and it is a factor to it, that’s why quality education becomes more hampered,” Gutierrez added.
Flood-prone
The challenges posed by flooding and class suspensions promoted College of Education senior Mark Anthony Viernes to join the demonstration at the Plaza Mayor.
He said resilience in these kinds of challenges are not enough and public officials must be held to account for the irregularities.
“We should be more aware and informed of what’s happening [in the country]. We should not be comfortable just being enclosed inside our rooms,” Viernes said.
Noting that España, where UST is located, is one of the most flood-prone areas in Manila, Racelis said the rain empowered students to protest the University’s problems on flood management.
The floods highlight the “price of corruption,” and should prod students to take a stance against anomalies and betrayal of public trust, Racelis added.
Justine Badilla, chairperson of the UST Senior High School chapter of Anakbayan, said students could initiate change and channel their frustrations by participating in political mobilizations and organizations.
For Gutierrez, the holding of protests could break the University’s reputation of being an “apolitical” institution.
“UST has a long-time branding of being apolitical, and I believe [that] this is debunked by our current action,” the instructor said.
Earlier this month, UST issued a statement condemning the corruption in flood mitigation structures and urging the Thomasian community to amplify their voices while acting with integrity.
“Throughout history, UST has always stood for truth…With faith and resolve, let us build a generation that says no to corruption and expects honesty, accountability, and true service from those in power,” the University said in a statement.
Gutierrez expressed hope that students would continue to stand for what they believe in and express their views on pressing issues.
“UST is not apolitical. We are not part of the ‘big four’ because we’re just there. We also know how to take a stand,” he added.
Wider unity sought
The protest should not end inside the University, but should pave the way for broader collaborations with other sectors in the University Belt, according to Arts and Letters Faculty Association (ALFA) president Prof. Rene Luis Tadle.
“We need to get out and join the collective struggle. Students, teachers and even workers should not feel tired of this. We can have the same call and power… so I hope this rally will be the start so we can also get rid of corruption,”. Tadle told The Flame.
UST Hospital union leader Donell John Siazon echoed the sentiment, stressing that health workers have long been victims of the fund controversy.
He criticized the government for supposedly prioritizing flood control projects while the needs of the frontline workers are neglected.
Tadle and Siazon said unity among faculty members, students and workers is crucial in demanding for justice and in challenging systemic corruption.
Another anti-corruption protest will be held on Friday, Oct. 3, according to Tadle. F
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