THE UST Central Student Council (CSC), the UST Student Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC), along with other student groups, marked the 53rd anniversary of the Martial Law declaration by urging Thomasians to remember its atrocities and resist oppression.
In a statement on Sept. 21, the CSC said students must remain vigilant to “not allow the tyrant’s shadow to rise again.”
It also emphasized that Martial Law was not the “discipline” that the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. claimed, but a tool to instill fear.
“Every arrest, every disappearance, every life snuffed out was a testament to a regime that thrived on violence and lies,” the CSC said.
“Martial law will never be glorified. Tyranny will never be normalized. And the people will never bow to the oppressor,” it added.
In a four-page statement, the SOCC connected history to current issues, noting that the misuse of power during Martial Law continued to manifest today through corruption and inequality.
“The dark days of Martial Law showed us how unchecked power breeds corruption, cronyism, and deep inequality,” the SOCC said.
A total of 117 University-wide and college-based student organizations signed the statement.
“For Truth, Justice, and the Common Good, We Stand. We affirm our support for this statement and commit to upholding Veritas in Caritate,” the SOCC post read.
The coordinating council highlighted the role of Thomasians in society, saying students of a Catholic institution are not only molded academically, but also bear other responsibilities.
“We are not just called to be molded academically, but also to become conscious of our moral, social, and national responsibilities, and to lead with competence, compassion, and commitment in the hope of overhauling a system that has been corrupted for decades,” it stated.
It also called for reforms within government amid the corruption controversy.
“We call on fellow Thomasians, and all who believe in Truth, to join us: to speak, to act, and to mobilize for a society anchored on truth and accountability,” it said. Czeantal Naomi P. Delos Santos
