Students fight campus militarization with walkout

CEBU, Philippines — It was a class day but instead of being in their classrooms, they were on the grounds. Instead of holding pens, they were holding placards.

This was the scene in yesterday’s “Walkout of Action” at the University of the Philippines-Cebu campus, where scores of students stepped out of their rooms to join a national day of walkout to express their sentiments against what they said were oppressive policies such as campus militarization, among others.

Unlike other mass actions previously initiated by UP college students, this one was participated in by students from Grades 11 and 12 of the senior high school department.

A group of students began the protest action by inviting other students to go out of their respective classrooms and join them in their cause.

In sum, more or less 400 people joined the action, including some teachers.

Auramae Agabay, chairperson of the UP-Cebu Student Council and member of the Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Estudyante, laid down three reasons why they are against campus militarization or the deployment of the military in campuses, particularly in UP.

First, she said, it will stifle their right to academic freedom, their right to organize, and their right to free speech.

Agbay also slammed campus militarization as it allegedly deflects people from the real issues, such as farmers facing problems with land ownership; inflation; the string of killings targeting farmers in Negros, Samar, and Bicol; contractualization; low minimum wage and lack of job security, among others.

Lastly, she said, students continue to suffer from rising tuition fees, and that despite the free tuition law, students in some public universities continue to pay other forms of fee.

For these reasons, they staged the walkout to show their resistance to the “attacks” allegedly made by President Duterte’s administration on students.

Agbay said it was the first time the university chancellor herself endorsed the walkout. It was also the first time students senior high school students joined.

“This only means that we – teachers, workers, and the high school administration – are united in taking a stand against the policies of the government,” she said.

Among those spotted in the action was Weena Gera, UP-Cebu vice chancellor for administration, who represented the chancellor, Atty. Liza Corro, and other administration officials in their act of “defending academic freedom and opposing campus militarization.”

“The University of the Philippines, as an academic institution is traditionally -- and continues to be -- a bastion of free, independent and critical thinking, and open analysis of domestic and global socio-political issues,” Gera said in a message she read in front of protesters.

“We take it as our basic obligation so stand for truth and social justice, oppose persecution, and to resist oppression in all forms -- and that includes intrusion on our basic academic sovereignty. In UP-Cebu, the chancellor wishes to extend to you her assurance that under her leadership, UP-Cebu shall remain free from campus militarization, and shall protect its academic freedom and institutional autonomy.

“We may argue and debate on various issues amid our differing personalities and ideological persuasions, but we shall remain a zone of peaceful discourse and academic pursuits, who can stand together and united in confronting any form of threat to our shared and treasured academic freedom.”

From UP-Cebu grounds, the protesting students marched towards Fuente Osmeña Circle where other militant groups met and joined them in their walk to Colon Street.

There, they held a short program where they once again aired their gripe against the government. — JMD (FREEMAN)