Palace on UAAP’s Black Sunday: It’s their right

MANILA, Philippines - Not just blue or green, but black.

Malacañang is respecting the right to expression of the officials and students of the Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University, which will hold a “Black Sunday” game during the Eagles and Archers’ UAAP match today, an official said yesterday.

Members of the Ateneo and La Salle communities have been asked to wear black today to stand in solidarity with the victims of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.

The move is also in opposition to the planned burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“We understand there is call from Ateneo and De La Salle to wear black during the UAAP men’s basketball game to protest Marcos’ hero’s burial and to condemn the spate of extrajudicial killings in the country,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.

Andanar said Malacañang would not prevent anybody from expressing grievances against the government.

“We live in a democracy where everyone is entitled to give an opinion, air his grievance or voice his solidarity or disagreement with the government as long as the means used is peaceful, legal and constitutional,” Andanar said. 

 “As we learned in our class, ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it’,” he added.

 Andanar also urged the academic communities to help the poor to enable them to stay away from being victims of illegal drugs.

“Feel free to express your concern on the burning issues of the day in the same way that we encourage both Ateneo and La Salle communities to step up and bring the blessings of their quality education by helping the government transform the many communities of the poor in our society,” he said.

“The menace of illegal drugs has swept away human rights and lives, which are some values we are taught in school,” he added.

Andanar encouraged the public to support the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Ateneo and La Salle universities released statements on Friday signed by Ateneo university president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin and La Salle president Raymundo  Suplido.

“This is to express our solidarity with victims of human rights violations and others struggling to uphold human rights. This is also in opposition to the possible Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the growing number of extrajudicial killings in the country,” Villarin said.

Suplido said the wearing of black would “symbolically express” sentiments against “the culture of death” prevailing in the Philippines as the government continues its war on drugs. – With Evelyn Macairan