| Except for a few government-owned-or-controlled media outfits, most print and broadcast agenciesceased regular operations during martial law. Unlike mainstream media, majority of which were sequestered by the Marcos regime,campus publications like the Philippine Collegian of UP Diliman, The Catalyst (formerly Ang Malaya) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, The Dawn of University of the East-Recto and The Advocate of Far Eastern University went underground and continued publishing clandestinely. This earned them the name “mosquito” press, publications which continued to publish articles critical of the government despite the dangers it entailed.
As in martial law, many campus publications retained their militancy today. Contrary to the profit-oriented mainstream media, campus publications are usually non-commercial and issue-oriented. Whenever publications promptly oppose any anti-student policy, the administration swiftly counters by assaulting press freedom.
Presently, there is an increasing trend of press repression in various campuses. The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), an alliance of college student publications in the Philippines, states that just last year, around70 cases of campus press freedom violations were recorded in the country.
Under siege
Recent cases of campus freedom violations include Tandem, the official student publication of the University of Northern Philippines (UNP), and Technozette, the official publication of Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST).
For more than 32 years, Tandem has upheld the interests of the students by publishing articles critical of the school administration. For instance, it condemned the neglected facilities of UNP, the repression of academic freedom and the tuition increase. At the onset of the year, Tandem denounced the imposed P75 to P100 per unit increase. It questioned the legality of the policy and openly campaigned against its implementation by posting wall news all over the campus.
To silence Tandem’s criticisms, the administration cut off the publication office’s electricity line at the start of the school year. The office was barred on October 31, thus halting the newspaper’s publishing operations. The staffers were also prevented from collecting funds from the students.
Furthermore, the administration appointed an adviser for Tandem without prior consultation with the writers. The staff declared, however, that this was an assault to campus press freedom –– advisers have been known to censure information that are potentially damaging to the administration. According to section six of the Campus Journalist Act of 1991 (CJA), meanwhile, the function of an adviser is limited to technical guidance alone.
Meanwhile, the staff was not immune from individual harassment. For instance, Ma. Criselda Diocena, Tandem’s present editor-in-chief, was barred from school premises during enrolment and fund collection period. She was only allowed entry after Tandem’s legal counsel, Atty. Robert Tudayan, wrote a letter demanding the administration to allow them entry.
Domino effect
Similarly, the EARIST administration sought to silence Technozette as the publication condemned the 600 percent increase in tuition, from P15 to P100 per unit. On its February-May 2007 issue, the Technozette staff printed “Oppose the illegal implementation of tuition and miscellaneous fee increase!” at the back cover page.
Shortly after, the administration delayed the release of Technozette’s publication funds. Section five of the CJA states that “in no instance shall the school administration concerned withhold the release of funds sourced from the savings of the appropriations of the respective schools and other sources intended for the student publication.” According to the CJA, the funds must be transferred to the publication’s account a month after the last day of enrolment. However, the funds were released only around September, even though the staff has passed the required financial statement to the administration.
Like in Tandem’s case, the administration of EARIST also attempted to designate an adviser for Technozette. The Technozette staff argued, however, that the appointment of an adviser was now optional instead of mandatory, as provided for by the CJA. Eventually, the administration relented.
Other documented cases of campus repression include The Warden, the official publication of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa (PLM). The publication printed articles criticizing the termination of faculty members and other employees. Consequently, The Warden’s regular publishing operations were put on hold. Meanwhile, the administration has refused to submit the staff’s requests for funding to the local government of Muntinlupa, which has the power to grant the funds.
Lip service
CEGP explains that press freedom violations are rampant in schools with critical campus publications. “Kapag ginawa nila ang role nila as campus publication, [na] i-uphold ang interes ng mga estudyante, ang interes ng mga mamamayan, siya talaga ang prone sa repression. Ang school administrators kasi at ang mga estudyante, may different sides of interest,” says CEGP National Deputy Secretary-General Vijae Alquisola.
Thus, when the campus press criticizes the actions of the administration, the latter retaliates by trying to quell the publication, thereby violating the students’ rights to free speech and expression.
CEGP explains that these violations go unchecked since the CJA itself is flawed. “Wala kasing penalty clause ang CJA. Aside from that, ginagamit pa siyang instrument ng admin to paralyze critical student publications by imposing non-mandatory collection,” Alquisola explains. Because of the lack of any penalty clause, the CJA is ineffectual as a law, as it does not punish violators of campus press freedom. Thus, it has no deterrent effect to quell campus press repressions.
Aside from being unable to punish campus press freedom violators, the CJA has a provision which makes the student publication fee payment optional. It does not assure the campus publications the administration’s aid in collecting funds. Thus, instead of protecting campus press freedom, the CJA intensifies repression by placing the campus publication at the mercy of the administration with regard to financing.
Despite the ongoing attacks on press freedom by school officials, student journalists shall continue to uphold the rights of the students, including the right to free speech and expression. At the onslaught of repression, the press shall not yield.
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# Philippine Collegian |
