We, Thomasian student leaders, true to our Christian, democratic and Thomasian values, uphold the

sanctity of human life and the inalienable dignity of every person, regardless of race, occupation, and
social status, or individual failures. As part of the youth affected by the actions of the government, we
stand to express our views on the current political situation in the country under President Rodrigo
Duterte with the ultimate intent of standing for the common good and the rights of our fellow Filipinos.

Since the start of his term, he has promised to implement reforms to help elevate Filipinos from the chains
of poverty and exploitation.

Until today, contractualization continues to significantly contribute to the deficiency in job security within
the country. Workers’ rights remain to be ineffective as large companies such as PEPMACO and NutriAsia
turn a blind eye and deaf ear towards the plights of their workers. Additionally, the program “Build, Build,
Build” has done nothing but demolish Indigenous People’s ancestral lands and the Urban Poor’s homes,
further displacing them and oftentimes leaving them homeless and vulnerable.

We recognize the president’s efforts to pursue an independent foreign policy. In the first few months of
his administration, he expressed scathing remarks against the US for their war crimes, especially against
Mindanaoans. This is a far cry from the position of his predecessors who have been subservient to US
interests. Moreover, he has expressed willingness to strengthen ties with China. China, on the other hand,
reciprocated the President’s warm remarks with promises of loans for the government’s flagship
infrastructure program—Build, Build, Build. It would indeed bring developments to the country. The
caveat, however, is that China is demanding collaterals, namely greater access to our natural resources—
which also means surrender of our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Aside from several issues of harassment, there were instances wherein the government has forcibly taken
thousands of lives of both farmers and Indigenous Peoples (IP’s). Moreover, the macho-feudal image of
President Duterte greatly influences senators such as Bato Dela Rosa, who in a recent case merely
described a 3-year-old child’s death from the drug war as “shit happens”. Her name was Myka Ulpina.

In the spirit of truth in charity, we stand against the merciless and violent war-on-drugs campaign which
makes anyone a potential victim; even the youth who should be provided with the right to a better life, a
safe child-friendly environment, and accessible opportunities agonize under his policies. We also stand
against the reimposition of death penalty and appeal to close the legislative process to reinstate it as a
capital punishment. Given our still imperfect legal system, the death penalty opens the possibility for
abuse and the miscarriage of justice which violate human rights. Despite its best intentions, the death
penalty is no longer an effective deterrent for crime and is a cruel and unecessary means of exacting
justice under our current circumstances, in which there are already better ways of achieving the same
goals. In line with these, we also stand against the forceful legislation of lowering the Minimum Age of
Criminal Responsibility (MACR) and their continuous wager to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers’
Training Corps (ROTC) program, it is evident how these laws pose a detrimental threat to the rights and
welfare of the youth. We call for the government to address the complications of the K-12 system, the
increase in tuition and other school fees, and the right of Lumads and other IP’s to education whose
schools are being forcefully shut down.

As we recognize some of the progress under this government, it is also evident that Mr. Rodrigo Roa
Duterte's presidency, over the past three years, has been filled with several failed promises that resulted
in the people’s immeasurable suffering, a paucity of basic resources, and deaths of thousands of Filipinos
met with impunity and injustice.
The Thomasian community strongly affirms in condemning all forms of attacks on the youth, the Filipino
people, and the treachery of the Philippine government in its outright surrender of our national
sovereignty and territorial integrity to foreign powers. We welcome the intentions of the government to
uplift the lives of Filipino people but in the current political situation, where massive injustice and rampant
killings towards farmers, workers, indigenous people, urban poor, and the youth, have outweighed its
good intentions, we challenge the government to continue with its development programs and genuine
reforms without compromising the basic human rights of all Filipino people.

As we, the youth, face tough times ahead, we are called upon to unite and manifest our collective action
against attempts to harm our democratic rights and national sovereignty.