Youth condemns attack on student-leaders, demand for higher quality education during ISD

By Aaron Ernest Cruz

RORIGUEZ, Rizal – Raven Racelis, University of Santo Tomas (UST) philosophy student and member of Kabataan Partylist, has been subjected to online harassment after she expressed her disappointment on the research colloquium in their university where formers member of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) linked progressive youth groups to New Peoples’ Army (NPA) without coherent basis.

In an interview with Bulatlat, Racelis shared that the said forum labeled the studies of Maikling Kurso sa Lipunan at Rebolusyong Pilipino, conducting community immersions to peasants and workers by progressive groups as terror grooming. They even show pictures of progressive groups holding placards exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and indirectly red-tag them.

“It is clear that the goal of the government is to instill fear among the youth so they will be discourage to assert and exercise their rights to join protest in amplifying the call to end corruption and demand for higher quality education and address academical issues that students are facing,” said Ravelis.

Red-tagging is a form of maliciously labeling someone as communists or terrorists regardless of their actual political belief. Supreme Court also have major ruling that red-tagging, vilification, labelling, and guilt by association threaten a person’s right to life, liberty, or security, which may justify the issuance of a writ of amparo.  

This is one of the growing cases of harassment and intimidation from streets to academic spaces that youths are facing since the September 21 massive anti-corruption protest happened. Previously there are also student leaders have been issued subpoena and several youth have been arbitrary arrested during the said protest.

“Despite the fear that the state wants to instill on us by attacking the youth in all means, they just proved that protesting against corruption is just and right thing to do,” Racelis asserted. “We also encourage the youth to further exercise their academic freedom through joining national democratic mass organization to fully learn the social realities of the Philippines.” 

Academic crisis

In this year International Students’ Day on November 17, progressive youth shows solidarity and condemn all acts of threat and intimidation towards the youth when they are just demanding to end corruption and at the same time to protect their academic freedom.

Kabataan Partylist representative Hayme Alegre pointed out the  P1.28 trillion ($21,701,350,400) allocated budget for education sector – that the government proud of due to its historic milestone – was not enough to address the rooted cause of educational crisis here in the Philippines.

“Philippines is known for being prone to tropical cyclones that cause heavy rainfall and flooding, schools are the most vulnerable to damages especially in rural areas yet the billions of flood-control projects that may help to lessen the damages are stolen by these corrupt politicians,” Alegre complained.

Statement from KPL, YRA

Racelis explained that students and youth should assert on fighting against corruption since it affects our access to education that everyone should have and not only for the privilege of the few. She also said that the youth should engage mostly to use the knowledge and show  solidarity with the marginalized sector to serve them.

“After all, the steadfast call of the youth is to make all corrupt politicians accountable, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte should evict them from their post, and to completely abolish NTF-ELCAC that did nothing but to red-tag individuals or organizations who fight and champion people’s rights.” (RVO)

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