Note: An edited version of this was published in Issue 3, 2002 issue of the Philippine Collegian. This was in response to campus press freedom violations in the UP System.


Admin intervention on campus press

SOLIDARIDAD stands in alarm and indignation over the UP Administration’s assaults on campus press freedom, especially in the UP Los Baños (UPLB) and UP Cebu campuses.

In February 2002, six editors (mostly graduating and some with honors) of the UP Cebu student paper, Tug-ani, were suspended for criticizing their own editorial examination committee. The UP Cebu Student Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found the editors guilty of malicious “defamatory imputations” and “gross and deliberate discourtesy and misconduct” against the faculty judges. But preserving the reputation of faculty does not justify destroying the future of the six suspended students. This was undoubtedly an attack on the right to criticize, an attack on every basic democratic right.

In March, the editorial examination results of the student publication UPLB Perspective got tainted with administrative intervention when the exam committee recommended editor in chief was nullified. The committee chairman changed the category for the results from averaging of grades (“mean of the means”) to a ranking system, because of a ‘statistical anomaly’ committed by some (student) members of the exam committee. A tie was drawn and the UPLB chancellor, instead of the committee, broke the tie and appointed the third winner, resulting in protests from the committee’s declared winner, student judges and Perspective editors and staff for the violation of the examination Rules.

The UP Administration’s guiding rule is that students do not know what’s best for their own interests. These are all clearly seen by UP publications as the Administration’s interventions in student affairs and on the campus press.

Other problems of UP campus publications include non-mandatory collection of student funds, highlighting neglect and abuse from Admin officials. With these problems, students become deprived of a venue to express independent ideas and opinions.

We must resolve to resist attacks on our democratic rights and interests and condemn these interventions in student affairs in an institution which purports to be liberal in orientation. An administrative punch in one campus is a brutal and strategic assault on every other.

CONDEMN ATTACKS ON OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS!
END ALL FORMS OF CAMPUS PRESS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS!

Caesar A. Baroña
Chairperson
Solidaridad UP Alliance of Student Publications and Writers’ Organizations

Note: This was published in the Feb. 28, 2003 issue of the UPLB Perspective under Nicolo Masakayan in response to allegations against the Alliance and in the context of UPLB Chancellor David's intervention in the Perspective EIC selection.


A Serious Imbalance in the Perspective

This is in response to several articles published in the January 30, 2003 issue of the UPLB Perspective with regards to the SOLIDARIDAD UP Alliance of Student Publications and Writers' Organizations.
Forming the context of the bitter statements was the proposal of the UP Los Baños University Student Council (UPLB-USC) to change the Perspective's charter. In one of the USC's proposals, they suggested that a member of the editorial selection committee could come from a "publication alliance such as SOLIDARIDAD." Upon which Ms Rowena Espiritu explained that Perspective was not a member of any Alliance, therefore they, meaning SOLIDARIDAD, "cannot interfere in the issues of the Perspective." In other parts of the same issue, SOLIDARIDAD allegedly "dumped" the Perspective following an anomaly in the editorship, that the Alliance is "captured," as like a hunter catching prey, and "constructed by the National Democratic ideology," purportedly leading to a "serious imbalance in the Perspective."

Moves to make student processes less susceptible to arbitrary administrative intervention can only be commended, especially in light of the recent UPLB case where administrative initiative could be seen as a detrimental precedent for similar cases in the future. The details of such revision, however, should only be prescribed by students immediately concerned.
While the Alliance would have been more than eager to offer solicited advice regarding democratization, no officer of the Alliance was even consulted for the January 23 meeting between USC-UPLB and the Perspective. Thus, we were surprised to read in the January 30 issue the involvement of the Alliance's name, with all the accompanying disparagement whose basis can only be thin air. The Perspective does itself and the students a disservice by displacing its charter problems by lapsing into abuse.

Even given that the proposal was adopted, contrary to Ms Espiritu's suggestion that an alliance such as SOLIDARIDAD would be an interfering force, the nature of the Alliance militates against such an undemocratic stance, organically sprouting as the Alliance is from organizations, publications and budding publications from all UP units. Its practice also denies Ms Espiritu's insinuation.

SOLIDARIDAD is an alliance which was founded, among others, by the UPLB Perspective to aid in the establishment of student publications and zealous in its commitment to campus press freedom. At present, it is coordinating with about sixty organizations and publications, many of them yet to be established because of lack or absence of funds and facilities, or to outright repression and administrative interference. From its brief existence, it has shown only commitment and versatility in addressing student issues, with focus on the problems of student publications and their writers.

Thus we were alarmed and indignant when the UPLB chancellor easily set aside processes and intervened last year in the UPLB Perspective's editorial selection, setting aside the entire selection committee's efforts, denigrating the student judges, passing through the lesson that students do not know what's best for their own interest, which could qualify as an addition to the Tactical Manual for Administrative Intervention. The Alliance saw that the Perspective case could easily be used as precedent for future cases. Thus, the Alliance released a statement regarding the facts and focused on the administrative intervention, consciously avoiding subjective factors such as to who was more 'deserving 'as editor, as suggested by a certain Melbourne Talactac. With all the propaganda from either camp, the Alliance only showed that it had the advantage of impartiality.

While other institutions may have categorically stated their non-recognition of Mr. Masakayan, the Alliance didn't focus on the personalities involved in the issue. SOLIDARIDAD recognizes the UPLB Perspective as an independent institution and a founding member of the Alliance.

With regards to the 'dumping:' while other members felt strongly about the Perspective editorial selection issue, this did not constitute a basis for an expulsion from the Alliance. There was loss of communication, true, not without effort on our part to establish contact, but after a while it became apparent that the Perspective had political concerns about association with the Alliance. If the Perspective was 'dumped,' as Talactac cries, certainly an official letter from the Executive Council declaring so would appear on your desk. While we didn't push to be "accepted" as editorial selection judge, we are hoping that Talactac does not imply exclusion from the position of judge solely on the basis of a subjective gripe.

We also find your editorial troubling. Writing that SOLIDARIDAD is "captured or constructed by the National Democratic ideology," with all the dangerous implications, can only be the writer suffering from lack of imagination, using the old technique of painting with the same red brush all entities one wishes to malign. Members of the Alliance come from diverse perspectives and orientations that fail to be comprehended by Perspective's irresponsible editorial.

Surely an imbalance in perspectives occurs not on the Alliance's part, but the Alliance still welcomes your writers and staff to prove or disprove whatever assumptions you may have and to further understanding among UP student writers by participating in the Alliance's activities.

But understanding the basis for your opinions does not excuse the irresponsible publication of your thoughts. If you feel so freely able to malign SOLIDARIDAD as an alliance in such a manner, then reconciliation is inevitable if you would make amends, nothing short of public apology, for insinuations that are unjustified and unfair, not only to the Alliance, but to your credibility and self-respect as well.

Yours Truly,

Caesar A. Baroña
Chairperson
SOLIDARIDAD UP Alliance of Student Publications and Writers' Organizations