THOMASIAN activists have called on UST to move beyond being a mere “passive observer” as opposition to the Marcos Jr. government and calls for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment gain momentum.
On Jan. 31, schools along Taft Avenue — including those run by religious orders such as De La Salle University Manila and St. Paul University Manila — trooped to Liwasang Bonifacio to demand an end to “poverty, corruption, and impunity.”
The demonstration was attended by school administrators and professors, including Adamson University President Fr. Daniel Pilario. Before the protest, institutions also issued a statement, with signatories such as De La Salle University President Bernard Oca, FSC.
Faculty Union President Emerito Gonzales was the lone signatory from UST.
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For Annie Agon, public relations officer of the UST Central Student Council (CSC), the increasing involvement of school administrators in protests should compel UST to step away from the sidelines and take a stand.
“As one of the most influential academic institutions in the country, it has a responsibility to stand for truth, justice, and the rights of the Filipino people,” Agon told the Varsitarian. “Otherwise, its silence will be equivalent to complicity.”
“When the academic community speaks out collectively, it proves that there are lessons to be found not just within the walls of a university, but in collective action,” added Agon, formerly president of Kabataan UST.
Despite coinciding with the anti-Duterte protests at the EDSA People Power Shrine in Quezon City, the Liwasang Bonifacio demonstration did not exclusively call for the vice president’s impeachment.
The schools also urged more “public fora and informal discussions of sociopolitical issues” within and beyond campuses, amid what they called “worsening socioeconomic situation in the country.”
Panday Sining UST chairperson Raven Racelis said the University is not insulated from these issues and must take a stand.
“The University does not exist in isolation — it is part of a nation grappling with crisis, corruption, and exploitation,” Racelis told the Varsitarian. “If UST is to remain true to its values, it must move beyond passive observation and take an active role in addressing the urgent issues that affect its students and the broader community.”
“Silence contradicts its mission of upholding truth with love; to be truly committed to its values, UST must engage with these issues with courage, integrity, and unwavering solidarity with the marginalized.”
Classes at UST proceeded as scheduled on Jan. 31 despite CSC’s call for an adjusted learning setup due to anticipated heavy traffic around Liwasang Bonifacio. Thomasians were asked to inform their facilitators if they had participated in the protest. Academic units were instructed to be lenient with attendance-checking.
Far Eastern University’s Manila and Makati campuses shifted to an independent learning setup, while Adamson University announced it would issue excuse letters to students who participated in the rally.
‘Education cannot be neutral’
Pilario, a UST Faculty of Sacred Theology alumnus, said in a Facebook post after the rally that schools must stop masking fear and silence as “scholastic neutrality” as this contradicts their mission.
“When our educational institutions do not make a stand in the name of neutrality or when our teachers even cheered the killings, we do not do our mission as schools, that is, to form and protect the human person,” the Adamson University president said.
Citing Pope Francis, Pilario encouraged schools to fight against evil using truth.
“From our classrooms to the streets, from our lessons to their researches, we need to critique ‘the lie, the evil and the ugly.’ We need to proclaim ‘the truth, the good and the beautiful,’” he said.
“Otherwise, we have miserably failed in education […] We have miseducated our people because we taught them neutrality, silence and subservience despite the rampant abuse, shameless corruption and grave injustices happening in front of our very eyes.”
Accounts from Thomasian student activists during the Martial Law years show that UST has historically maintained a conservative stance, even under the Marcos Sr. dictatorship, though did not necessarily constrained student activism.
In the early 2000s, UST backed calls to impeach President Joseph Estrada over illegal gambling kickbacks and corruption.
In recent years, UST has been accused of conducting “witch-hunts” against student activists by issuing show-cause orders to Thomasian members of “unrecognized” organizations.
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While acknowledging this history, Agon remained optimistic that UST would take a bolder stance, as other Manila schools have.
“I have always been optimistic that UST can brand itself as a fierce defender of justice. Recent demonstrations joined by various schools have only made this clearer,” she said. “For as long as UST has existed, there have always been Thomasians struggling for democracy.” with reports from Sydney Venice V. Berba