(UPDATED, April 13, 2025)
THE UNIVERSITY has asked a Thomasian senatorial candidate to stop using its name and official seal in campaign materials and to issue a public clarification that UST does not endorse his candidacy.
This comes after tarpaulins bearing the University’s name and old official seal were spotted on Dapitan Street earlier this week, campaigning for Rep. Eric Martinez of Valenzuela’s second district, who had studied in UST.
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The tarpaulin carried the phrase “May KANDIDATONG SENADOR na taga USTe,” along with Martinez’s supposed batch and bachelor’s program. It also featured UST’s name and old seal.
In a statement to the Varsitarian, Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. clarified that the materials were not authorized by the University, which “does not endorse any political candidate” to maintain its “academic integrity.”
“We clarify that the University does not endorse any political candidate, did not authorize the use of its name/logo, and maintains political neutrality, particularly in keeping with its academic integrity,” Coronel said.
Coronel said UST has consulted its legal counsel and would “keep in touch with Mr. Eric Martinez to cease and desist from using the University’s name and logo in any campaign-related materials.”
The use of the UST name and any version of its logo — whether old or new — in materials that imply the school’s endorsement is also prohibited, he said.
Although Martinez had been enrolled at UST since 1989, University records show he was unable to complete his degree, disputing either interpretation of “BATCH ’93,” whether as the year he entered or left the school.
READ: Registrar clarifies: Martinez studied in UST but did not graduate
Martinez, who has been the second district representative of Valenzuela since 2016, is running in the 2025 midterm elections under the pro-Duterte political party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP Laban).
The Varsitarian has tried to reach out to Martinez’s camp to clarify whether the tarpaulin is an official campaign material or a supporter-initiated poster, but it has yet to receive a response as of posting time.
