Students demand government action on repression in St. Louis University

College Editors Guild of the Philippines, press release, 25 November 1997

URGENT ACTION ALERT

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) requests your statements of protest over the repression of campus journalists and student leaders in St. Louis University (SLU). Please see the following information.

Your letters to the Commission on Higher Education will help in pressuring the Philippine government in addressing the massive clampdown on the campus press.

Thank you very much.

Tonyo Cruz
CEGP National Secretariat

Reference: Tonyo Cruz, CEGP national secretariat
Telefax No. 4261483 | Email: cegp@earthling.net

An indignation rally by students led by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) will be staged at the central office of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in DAP Bldg. Ortigas Center, Pasig City on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 1:00 pm to protest the harassment of campus journalists and student leaders based in St. Louis University.

At the same time, the CEGP's Baguio City-Benguet Ad Hoc Committee will stage a parallel protest at CHED's Cordillera Administrative Region office.

Seven editors and staffers of the Hotline, official student publication of SLU's Supreme Student Council, were slapped libel charges by the Slu administration for publishing articles attacking the recent tuition fee increases. Law student and SSC chair Mariano Bugayawan Jr. was arrested last week together with two other SSC officers in connection with the libel case.

The CEGP will seek an audience with CHED chair Angel Alcala on the SLU issue and to demand immediate resolution of campus press freedom violation cases now pending in CHED. To date, more than 127 student publications nationwide are either padlocked or controlled by capitalist educators.

FOR URGENT ACTION!!!

NEWS RELEASE | Nov. 24, 1997
Reference: Tonyo Cruz | CEGP National Secretariat
Telefax No. 4261483 | Email: <cegp@earthling.net>

CEGP slaps complaint against Cordillera's butcher of press freedom

A complaint against the administration of St. Louis University in Baguio City will be filed today by the biggest national student alliance over what they describe as a blatant and malicious attack against oppositors of tuition fee increases and other anti-student policies. Full text of complaint letter is at the end of this news release.

Ms. Ruth Cervantes, vice-president for Luzon of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), said that the SLU administration is becoming notorious for being Cordillera's butcher of campus press freedom for filing libel charges against SLU student leaders and campus journalists.

According to the CEGP, the SLU administration is conspiring against students by launching a 'clampdown' against student publications. They cited the following incidents:

• filing of libel cases against editors and staffwriters of Hotline, publication of the SLU supreme student council;
• banning and exclusion of student council chair Mariano Buyagawan Jr. for his anti-tuition fee increase articles in the Hotline;
• harassment of SLU laboratory high school students and teachers for articles published in the Louisian Herald; and
• the closure of the White and Blue (SLU's university-wide student publication) prior to its recent restoration by students.

Cervantes said that the CEGP is planning to launch indignation pickets at CHED's Pasig City and Baguio City offices to pressure the Commission to act on the SLU case. She further said that the SLU case is the latest in the string of campus press freedom violation cases filed at CHED since December 1995. CEGP records show that more than 127 student publications today are closed or placed under censorship by school administrators.

She clarified that school administrators close down or restrain student publications due to their articles and viewpoints critical of anti-student policies like tuition fee increases.

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24 November 1997

Hon. Angel Alcala
Chairperson
Commission on Higher Education
Pasig City

Dear Sir:

The National Executive Committee of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) enjoins your good office to look into the reported violations of campus press freedom against campus journalists and student leaders by the administration of Saint Louis University.

As per reports from CEGP's Baguio City-Benguet Ad Hoc Committee, the SLU administration filed libel charges against seven editors and staffers of the Hotline, official publication of SLU's Supreme Student Council over satirical articles against the most recent tuition fee hikes in the said university. Three campus journalists who were likewise officers of the SSC were recently arrested and were later freed on bail.

Specifically, the CEGP asks the CHED to investigate the SLU administration for culpable violations of students=92 democratic rights, particularly campus press freedom, the reported exclusion of and physical ban against SSC chairperson Mariano Buyagawan Jr. and the verbal threats issued by the University President against the student protesters. Mr. Buyagawan is currently enrolled in the SLU law school.

This complaint is yet another addition to the cases filed previously in your office involving more than 127 student publications nationwide. We urge your immediate and prompt action.

The CEGP national leadership in Manila and its fellow leaders in Bag= uio City-Benguet will be on hand to extend all forms of assistance to expedite the resolution of these cases of campus press freedom violations.

Thank you very much.

Respectfully yours,

(Sgd.) Ian Dexter Marquez
Councilor for Organizing
Metro Manila-Rizal Regional Council

(Sgd.) Rey Asis
Councilor for Education
Metro Manila-Rizal Regional Council

(Sgd.) Angel Tesorero
National Deputy Secretary-General

(Sgd.) Randy Vegas
National Secretary-General

(Sgd.) Ruth Cervantes
Vice President for Luzon