Politicians must think twice before engaging in battles resembling the Biblical account of David and Goliath.
A few days before the first anniversary of the infamous TomasinoWeb photo takedown, a Bicol congressman fired shots at the results of a pre-election survey released by The SPARK, the official student publication of the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC).
The survey, which had CSPC students as respondents, saw incumbent 2nd district representative and gubernatorial candidate Luis Raymond (L-Ray) Villafuerte lagging behind his rival Bong Rodriguez, an ally of former vice president Leni Robredo.
In an embarrassing display of pettiness and arrogance, L-Ray disputed the results and cited the Leni-Kiko profile picture of The SPARK associate editor Matthew Enimendez to question his journalistic integrity.
The politician may have been too used to unchecked power. He viewed a campus publication report covering an institution with about 14,000 students as a blow to his candidacy. Instead of gaining the sympathy of the people on what he called “fake survey results,” he ignited a firestorm that reflected the collective disgust towards politicians acting as infallible emperors.
According to The SPARK Editor in Chief Paul Luna, The SPARK was asked to remove its post on the survey following discussions with the university’s president. The post was removed but was eventually reuploaded to the publication’s social media page.
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines denounced Villafuerte’s actions as an “affront to campus press freedom, that has no place in a democratic society.”
“This vile harassment of student publications reflects a non-isolated issue of censorship that deprives communities of the truth. Ultimately, the campus press’ ability to spark discussions and politicize its constituents prove that administrations fear the power of genuine student representation,” the group said.
The Villafuertes hold a tight grip over Camarines Sur. In the upcoming midterm polls, L-Ray will be seeking an elective post along with his sons, re-electionist Camarines Sur Rep. Migz Villafuerte and incumbent governor and second district congressional candidate Luigi Villafuerte.
While the family has been dominating the local political arena, recent data suggest that the plight of their constituents has not improved, to say the least. Camarines Sur recorded a 22.4 percent family poverty incidence in 2023, more than double than the national poverty incidence at 10.9 percent.
It is evident that the Villafuertes care more about public image than development. After all, that is where traditional politicians fare best.
Journalists do not exist to serve any politician or institution. This is even more evident for campus journalism, said to be the purest form of journalism.
Not even Goliaths, like Villafuerte, should be allowed to tarnish it. This also holds true for school administrators and their enablers who are ready to sacrifice the truth, suppress free expression and discourage critical thinking to please their overlords and to defend the status quo that they benefit from.
The Villafuertes should learn from the TomasinoWeb fiasco. Nothing good ever comes out of trampling on the freedom of the press.
