CEBU, Philippines – Ateneo de Davao University President Fr. Karel San Juan, SJ called out the bullying and harassment of students at the hands of Duterte supporters on Wednesday, March 12.
This happened after the Ateneo Publications Alliance released a collective statement on Tuesday, March 11, in relation to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes committed during his war on drugs.
“While the arrest took almost 10 years since the [International Criminal Court] began its probe, it is still an important step toward the pursuit of justice,” their statement read.
The alliance reminded the public of the innocent lives that were lost due to the war on drugs, and how “impunity, whatever form it may take, must not go unpunished.”
Many alumni and pro-Duterte supporters were quick to air out their discontent with the stand of the student journalists, labeling the publications as “hypocrites” and communist rebels.
In a comment on the social media page of Atenews, Ateneo de Davao University’s campus publication, a netizen by the name of Amor Spridgeon told the students: “One day, one of you all will be rape. Don’t look back.”
“Dami bangag dyan sa school na yan (there are a lot of stoners in that school),” netizen Tobub Diaz Burdeos said in a comment.
In response, the university president said that the university does not condone the bullying, harassment, and red-tagging directed at its students.
“These actions have no place in a community dedicated to truth, justice, and intellectual integrity,” San Juan said.
In May 2024, the Supreme Court defined red-tagging as an act that threatens a person’s constitutional right to life, liberty, and security.
The priest added that the university would always defend the right to a free and safe press and highlighted that student publications operated with editorial independence and have views that are separate from that of the institution.
“In these times, when words carry great weight and consequence, we urge our community to approach discourse with wisdom, courage, and above all, kindness,” San Juan concluded.
Stop the attacks
Many student-led organizations in Davao have also called out the attempts to dox and harass members of Atenews.
“Many of our students, most notably the student publication, have been redtagged with reports involving attacks against the identity of students, indirect threats that jeopardize their security, and direct threats to inflict harm,” the Samahan ng Mga Mag-Aaral ng Pamantasang Ateneo de Davao (SAMAHAN) said on Thursday, March 13.
The SAMAHAN is the university’s student government. In its statement, the organization condemned the attacks against the students and called on the Ateneo community to abide by the university values of recognizing each other’s right to speak one’s mind without threatening their security.
“I find it hard to move forward because as of the moment, the only actions we can think of is to safeguard the editorial staff by asking them to lock their social media,” Aika Rosete, the editor-in-chief of Atenews, told Rappler on Thursday evening.
Rosete expressed concern over how to protect her peers outside of the university.
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)–Davao also condemned the attack against the campus publication, stating that it stood firmly with Atenews in resisting both internal and external forces of oppression.
“Rather than resort to intimidation, we call on critics to engage in constructive, fact-based discourse…We call on all student publications and journalists to stand firm against efforts to silence dissent and continue the fight for a free and independent press,” the CEGP Davao said in its statement. – Rappler.com