THE UNIVERSITY has encouraged Thomasians to take part in activities commemorating the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Feb. 25, including a Mass and discussions highlighting the spirit of the uprising.
In a memorandum, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. announced the holding of academic activities and discussions, as well as worship, to pray for the “healing of our country” from the “wounds of division.”
“As we commemorate the EDSA People Power Revolution, we are reminded of the power of unity, courage, and peaceful action,” Coronel said in the memorandum dated Feb. 14.
“Let us stand united and never forget that true power lies in the collective will of the people, and it is our responsibility to uphold the values of integrity, justice, and freedom for generations to come,” he added.
UST has suspended classes on Feb. 25 despite President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision not to declare the event, which marked the ouster of his late dictator father, a holiday.
Other schools including De La Salle Philippines schools, Adamson University, San Beda University, and University of the East have also suspended classes, while the University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University opted for an alternative learning setup.
UST’s EDSA commemoration will begin with a “Mass for Peace” at the Santisimo Rosario Parish on Feb. 25 at 7:30 a.m. It will be followed by the praying of the Holy Rosary and Prayer for Peace.
At 6 p.m. on the same day, UST’s landmarks will be illuminated in white as a “tribute to EDSA’s spirit” and a symbol of peace and hope.
On Feb. 26, the Department of Political Science will host a masterclass series titled “A Region in Transition: Elections and the Shifting Political Landscape in Muslim Mindanao” at the George SK Ty Function Hall of the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building.
The masterclass series will feature lectures by Political Science Department Chair Dennis Coronacion, political science faculty member Assoc. Prof. Mark Anthony Velasco, and Faculty of Arts and Letters Secretary Louie Ignacio.
The Department of Journalism, in partnership with Probe Archives, will host the “Revisiting People Power through Film, Archives and Dialogue” at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium on Feb. 26 at 1 p.m.
The event involves a film screening of “(Which) People (What) Power?” a video archive exhibit, and a panel discussion with journalists, filmmakers, and content creators focused on history, fact-checking, and civic engagement.
Another screening, this time of the Cinemalaya film “Balota,” will be hosted by the Artlets Student Council and the Legal Management Society at the Central Laboratory Auditorium. A talkback session with director Kipp Oebanda will follow.
An online lecture-discussion on the life, works, and spirituality of Frs. Pedro Salgado, O.P. and Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez, O.P. will be led by Fr. Delfo Canceran O.P., priest minister of the Ministry of Urban Poor from the Diocese of Kalookan, on Feb. 27 at 9 a.m.
The event was initiated by the UST Simbahayan Community Development Office in partnership with the Dominican Family for Justice, Peace, and Care for Creation-Philippines. It aims to honor Salgado, a Dominican priest known for being a staunch advocate for the poor, and Gutierrez, considered the “Father of Liberation Theology.”
Performances will be featured during the “KULTURALAN: Kultura at Aral para sa Karapatan” on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, as part of the Fr. Pedro Salgado, O.P. Social Justice Campaign.
This year’s EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary, the third under Marcos Jr., was declared a special working day.
