Eirene Jude P.

Gomez X-Neutron March 14, 2019

1) What is your reaction on the red tagging of our school with the statement “ACT Party List Recruiter
ng NPA ha eskwelahan”?
The Philippine Science High School community is recognized nationwide and worldwide due to
its prominent status in the field of academics. Yet, having embarked and explored the corners of this
school for the past 3 years, I have come to realize that the Pisay community is more than just a
battlefield of the great minds of future Einsteins and Newtons. It is also a factory that molds its
students to be independent scholars befitting of the image being imparted upon by society’s ideals.
Tied down with this aspect is the awakening of our inner Andres Bonifacio as the light is shed upon
our eyes towards the current crisis being faced by our country due to its staggering political
morality. It is undeniable that the children of our generation have grown to become heavily
opinionated, and the several years we scholars have spent burying our faces on textbooks has
contributed to our becoming critical and objective.
A famous quote once stated, “with great power comes great responsibility”. The pen is a tool
that possesses tremendous power as even with its sheer size, it has the ability to cut down the
sword and its oppressor. Thus, it is only befitting for a scholar to impart his opinions and ideals to
the public so that his voice may be heard. Last March 7, 2019 during the Humanities Day’s
Celebration, our batch conducted a performance which embodied the current social and political
issues we deemed controversial, thus entailing the need for its urgent addressing. It did not escape
our knowledge that the said presentation posed sensitive topics, and may consequently garner a mix
of both negative and positive reactions from the crowd. However, I believe that the performance we
have conducted was not equipped with the aim to destroy our government, but rather was directed
to express our opinions as scholars and citizens of this country. For many years we have been birds
trapped inside a cage, silenced and deprived of our capability to soar. Yet through blood, sweat, and
tears, our ancestors have managed to crank this door open and free us from choking grasps of our
oppressors. As a citizen of this country, would one not deem it as a duty to maintain this hard
earned freedom? Would one not deem it necessary to take action when others crouch in fear of
those in power?
The statement “ACT Party List Recruiter ng NPA ha eskwalahan” was an ominous message
meant to instil fear and danger upon the PSHS-EVC community. As a student, I believe that the
posting of such a statement to demeanour the morality of the school is an action that is biased and
coward-like. All the scenarios expressed by our dance was purely based on facts as proven by the
pictures and videos shown during the presentation, thus one cannot simply condemn our act given
that Article III of the 1987 Constitution entitles us with the right to freely express our opinion
whenever and however we want to provided it does not violate any constitutional right or destroy
the government. A good and inspiring opinion that is failed to be expressed is a dead one, thus if
one has to scream or shout, then so be it, for we all have the right to be heard. The play we depicted
was a message meant to represent the voices of thousands of Filipinos whose rights have been
trashed and violated. On that fateful Thursday afternoon, the groans and screams of many Filipinos
were merged into one unifying voice saying “Di Ka Pasisiil”. Despite the criticism of some spectators,
this issue will not be pacifier that will silence the voice of the oppressed and the concerned, for we
scholars will continue to accomplish our duties as citizens of this country.
Eirene Jude P. Gomez X-Neutron March 14, 2019

2) What measures do you suggest can the school take to address this issue?
Red tagging is defined as when the Philippine National Police or Armed Forces of the
Philippines affiliates a certain individual or group with communist or leftist terrorists. The marking of
our campus is undeniably a serious issue that must be immediately addressed as it can not only
imprint a negative image of our curriculum to the community, but also pose danger to its scholars.
As a student, I deem it befitting for the school to conduct a thorough investigation in pursuit of
determining the individuals responsible for this incident. Circumstances around this nation dictates
that this is not something we can merely turn a blind eye to, thus officials must conduct legal actions
to protect its students and staff from false accusations that can make or break their image. It would
not be justifiable for the school to induce punishment upon the performers nor would to implement
rules that would ban such from occurring again, for this act blankets the rights of the scholars to
express their freedom of speech. Those whose hands lie on the sword cannot merely hold strings
upon the citizens of this nation, thus individuals whose rights are on the edge of a cliff ought to be
defended and not condemned for expressing what they deem necessary to be heard.