Respect the students’ right to press freedom!

Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette – College Editors G...

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press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette

Respect the students’ right to press freedom!

Statement calling for an end to campus press
freedom violations committed against UPHL
Gazette

2 February 2013 | Filed under: Campaigns, Press Freedom and tagged with: campus press freedom, campus press freedom violation,
featured

February 1, 2013 

Press Statement

Reference Person: Michael Alegre

Secretary General

CEGP Southern Tagalog

Respect the students’ right to press freedom!

Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against
UPHL Gazette

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines – Southern Tagalog chapter expresses strong
support to the ongoing campaign of the UPHL Gazette, the official student publication of the
University of Perpetual Help – Biñan, Laguna, in their struggle against recent cases of campus

http://www.cegp.org/...t-to-press-freedom-statement-calling-for-an-end-to-campus-press-freedom-violations-committed-against-uphl-gazette/[5/14/2016 3:24:05 PM]

Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette – College Editors G...

press freedom violations committed primarily by their School Director, Dr. Ferdinand Somido.

Under our independent investigation on the matter, we have found the School Director, and
other administrative officials involved, in violation of the students’ right to campus press
freedom, namely: withholding and non-collection of publication fees, meddling with the editorial
board selection process, threats of expulsion and suspension of student editors and writers,
and threat of outright closure of the publication.

These cases violate provisions stipulated under the Republic Act 7079 or the Campus
Journalism Act of 1991 and goes against the principles expressed in House Bill 4287 or the
Campus Press Freedom Bill filed by Kabataan Partylist in the 15th Congress.

Publication lifeblood: Fuel for critical thought

Upon enrolment last June 2012, members of the UPHL Gazette were surprised by the directives
from Dr. Somido to implement the non-collection of Publication Fee (P200), which serves as
the student paper’s source of fund.

It is the sole duty of school officials, as support to campus journalists, to collect and immediately
turn over the funds. This withholding of funds effectively paralyzed the UPHL Gazette’s
capability to publish in print articles that tackle genuine student concerns and issues.

The publications fund is the lifeblood that fuels the operations of student journalists. By
withholding or refusing to collect these, not only are students deprived of their right to
information about local and national issues but are also stripped off of opportunities to come up
with critical opinions essential to alternative learning and active participation in shaping our
nation’s future.

Selection of Editorial board: Internal liberty of campus press

The School Director’s sole basis for withholding the funds was that there was “no legitimate line
up” in the selection of UPHL Gazette’s editorial board.

We pose an inquiry to the School Director’s meddling with the selection process of UPHL
Gazette’s editorial board, and are alarmed with the myriad of technicalities that was imposed
which include: mandatorily requiring of another set of  “revalidation examination” last July 29,
2012 for the editors, thereby changing the editorial line-up outside the publication’s formal
process; conducting an investigation on the alleged erroneous line up of editors published in
their tabloid issue last October; and requiring editors to issue an explanatory letter for the
alleged mistake, among others.

http://www.cegp.org/...t-to-press-freedom-statement-calling-for-an-end-to-campus-press-freedom-violations-committed-against-uphl-gazette/[5/14/2016 3:24:05 PM]

Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette – College Editors G...

The UPHL Gazette’s constitution and by-laws, which were founded by previous members of the
publication and recognized by the students, were clearly violated by the said process. The
selection of editors should be a process that members of the publications, the editorial board at
the very least, have the liberty to decide. In no way shall any administrative official declare that
a selection process is “illegal”.

In fact, the administration should not be involved in the selection process other than recognizing
the new set of editorial board. But this recognition should only be in the form of courtesy or
“only ceremonial” and should hold the administration powerless in actual selection of editors.
This is to ensure that no political or personal issue is imbued in the process since student
publications are watchdogs of their school administration’s policies.

Threats of expulsion and closure: Grave abuses

Worst of all, current editors were imposed with disciplinary sanctions because of their alleged
“usurpation of authority,” which means that they might face expulsion for their actions. Added to
these threats were instigations that the publication can be “abolished” because of the alleged
invalidity of documents for the selection process.

With this, we also pose a question to the School Director and other administrative officials
involved: Why is the student journalist’s performance inside the publication being used as a
condition for the student journalist’s academic status? We also now question the real motive
behind this vicious attack on the student’s press freedom as well as academic freedom?

In the same way, CEGP-ST believes that such threats and intimidations of any form to close
down the publication should not be tolerated. May we remind them of the historic role of
alternative publications in attaining our democratic rights during the Spanish-colonial era,
Marcos dictatorship and today’s continuing task for genuine democracy?

Threatening to abolish an established student institution is a downright disrespect to the life and
blood that journalists and activists sacrificed for freedom. And with the UPHL Gazette
established since 1986, isn’t decades of selfless service to the students already parallel to the
academic institution itself with similar ideals?

State’s blatant disregard of freedom of expression

These incidents highlight how the current Philippine education system disregards the role of
campus journalists and other youth organizations in effectively spurring societal change
beneficial to the Filipino people.

http://www.cegp.org/...t-to-press-freedom-statement-calling-for-an-end-to-campus-press-freedom-violations-committed-against-uphl-gazette/[5/14/2016 3:24:05 PM]

Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette – College Editors G...

In the previous months, other student publications in Southern Tagalog have been battling
campus press freedom violations including continued closure of The Epitome of the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines in Lopez, Quezon due to campus militarization prevalent up to
now, the libel case filed against writers of The Harrow of Romblon State University last
October, the red-tagging of progressive youth groups in Palawan State University in a forum
conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines last November.

These further prove the inutile character of the Republic Act 7079 or Campus Journalism Act of
1991 in holding administrators and other groups accountable to campus press freedom
violations. This is why CEGP, as a founding organization of Kabataan Partylist, is a primary
author of the Campus Press Freedom Bill.

But the root causes of these incidents still remain because of the Aquino government’s blatant
disregard of its responsibility to protect the people’s right to freedom of expression. Until now,
journalists go about their profession with the prevailing culture of impunity and political
persecution as manifested by the persistent injustices in the Maguindanao Massacre and the
killing of Palawan broadcaster and environmental-activist Dr. Gerry Ortega.

In addition, legal activists are targeted by the state as enemies under the Oplan Bayanihan
counter-insurgency program which yielded 20 cases of extrajudicial killings, 3 enforced
disappearances, 43 illegal arrests and 33 illegal detentions since December, according to
human rights group Karapatan Southern Tagalog.

State repression of freedom of expression is intensified with the recent passage of the
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 which restricts Filipino netizens from expressing legitimate
dissent online, coupled by threats of punishment with penalties graver than real-world crimes.
More than our medium to express dissent, the state literally kills its dissenters.

Campus press as forefront of the students’ struggle

With these in mind, we laud the efforts of the UPHL Gazette in leading the students, learning
from them and ultimately challenging them to take part in moulding the minds of the academic
community to initiate involvement not only in education issues but in people’s issues as well.

As of press time, members of the UPHL Gazette are conducting a campus-wide campaign
through massive information dissemination, room-to-room discussions and signature drive to
persuade the students and faculties’ support and in ensuring their awareness and participation.
We call on other student publications to follow UPHL Gazette’s example in fighting for genuine
campus press freedom and encourage everyone to express support to their campaign in any
form.

http://www.cegp.org/...t-to-press-freedom-statement-calling-for-an-end-to-campus-press-freedom-violations-committed-against-uphl-gazette/[5/14/2016 3:24:05 PM]

Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette – College Editors G...

The struggle of the campus press is the struggle of our generation’s youth and students. In the
same way, the campus press, as a pillar of alternative media, must inevitably become a driving
force and agent for the concretization of the youth and students’ aspirations.

Through our collective voices in print and other means, the campus press has the potential to
become a conscience to a nation battling its societal cancers and a Filipino people struggling
for genuine national democracy.

END THE CAMPUS PRESS VIOLATIONS TO UPHL GAZETTE!

UPHOLD FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND CRITICAL THOUGHT!

FIGHT FOR A NATIONALIST, MASS ORIENTED AND SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION!

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One Response to "Respect the students’ right to press

freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press
freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette"

[From the web] Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom
violations committed against UPHL Gazette -CEGP « Human Rights Online Philippines says:

4 February 2013 at 04:43 PM

[…] Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom…. […]

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Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette – College Editors G...

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