TOMASINOWEB, an online media organization under the Office for Student Affairs (OSA), has put its social media operations on hold after its adviser’s resignation on Monday.
In an advisory, TomasinoWeb announced that all its publications on social media platforms would be put on hold until further notice after journalism instructor Leo Laparan II tendered his resignation as the organization’s adviser, effective immediately, at 8:57 a.m. on Monday.
ADVISORY: In view of the resignation of our organization adviser, and following the protocol of the Office for Student Affairs, our publication on ALL social media platforms will be on hold until further notice. pic.twitter.com/XNDeDBUKPt
— TomasinoWeb (@TomasinoWeb) February 19, 2024
Laparan’s resignation came three days after the online media organization was ordered by the OSA to take down its photo of College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS) students in their “Type B” uniforms and entering a convenience store.
JOURN INSTRUCTOR RESIGNS AS TOMWEB ADVISER
BREAKING: The adviser of TomasinoWeb has submitted his resignation to the Office for Student Affairs (OSA), effective immediately.
In his resignation letter, journalism instructor Leo Laparan said the "recent turn of events has… pic.twitter.com/QDGyS0TdW4
— The Varsitarian (@varsitarianust) February 19, 2024
In his resignation letter addressed to OSA Director Maria Cecilia Tio Cuison, Laparan said “the recent turn of events has rendered my position in the student organization immaterial and insignificant moving forward.”
Laparan, a desk editor at The Philippine Star, told the Varsitarian that the controversy was an insult to him as a journalist and a form of censorship by the OSA.
“For self-preservation ‘yung ginawa ko–to keep my dignity and pride as a journalist na natapakan, I decided to resign…I don’t want to work in a setting like that,” he said.
TomasinoWeb on Feb. 15 posted a photo album of Thomasians donning their Type B uniforms for the first time this academic year.
A day later, OSA instructed TomasinoWeb to take down one photo in the album of two CICS students entering the 7-Eleven store in front of the Fr. Roque Ruaño Building, O.P. Building after it purportedly caused “public ridicule.”
Over the years, jokes and memes have been made likening the Type B uniform of the CICS to the uniforms of 7-Eleven employees.
OSA orders student org to take down ‘7-Eleven’ photo, issue public apology
TomasinoWeb president Jan Zamora said TomasinoWeb was instructed by OSA to issue a public apology aside from changing the photo.
The student organization maintained it was only reporting that Thomasians have begun wearing their Type B uniforms for the first time this academic year.
“We opted for the option to mitigate the possible consequences. Unfortunate, but we had to do it,” Laparan said
Laparan served as TomasinoWeb’s adviser for one and a half years.
