THOMASIANS were tagged on Thursday in an alleged Facebook group chat containing lewd messages and stolen private photos and videos of women.
A Twitter account named “Anon Leaks” shared screenshots of the group chat, which indicated that the students involved, allegedly from the Faculty of Engineering, also compiled private photos and videos of female students from different universities in a Google drive.
Kirby Salonga, engineering student council treasurer, said the Faculty of Engineering had conducted a “fact-finding meeting” with the students involved in the group.
“They (students) all intend to willingly step forward to shed light on the matter. They categorically stated that they have no intention of evading the issue,” Salonga said in an online interview with the Varsitarian.
Salonga said the students were given a show-cause notice to explain why no disciplinary action should be filed against them.
He added that the alleged involvement of a faculty member in the group chat would be investigated separately.
In another post on Friday, Twitter handle Anon Leaks accused fine arts alumnus and former Varsitarian chief photographer Alvin Kasiban of receiving and sharing private photos and videos of underaged women.
Kasiban denied the accusations in a tweet, claiming he “did not ask” for the photos and videos and did not initiate the act of distributing such content, although some Twitter users pointed out that he indicated in the chat session that he would share a photo of a girl he was with, if he was able to take one.
“I was only at the receiving end of conversation and it was done two years ago when I was stupid and had no idea what being a man was about,” he said in a public statement.
Kasiban said he takes responsibility for his actions and said there was no excuse for his behavior.
Central Student Council President-elect Robert Gonzales said the council was coordinating with the Office for Student Affairs regarding the matter.
“May lumapit na [complainants] sa amin at tutulungan namin silang i-elevate ‘yong concerns nila into the administrative level para ma-aksiyunan agad ‘yong kaso,” Gonzales told the Varsitarian.
“We must not tolerate actions like these, hangga’t may tao na mambabastos, hindi pa rin mawawala ‘yong fear,” he added.
Gabriela Women’s Party denounced the circulation of lewd photos and videos and offered help to the female victims involved.
UST Hiraya, a feminist organization, also urged victims to file complaints.
The UST Student Handbook states that circulation of “immoral, obscene, pornographic pictures, books, magazines, engravings, sculptures, and other similar materials that are offensive and disruptive of the rights of others and of the Thomasian community,” is punishable by suspension, non-readmission or exclusion depending on the gravity and number of offenses.
The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 prohibits the act of capturing and sharing of “an image of the private area of a person/s…without the consent of [those] involved and under circumstances in which the person/s has/have a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
The Faculty of Engineering administration has yet to respond to a request for comment.
