By REYNARD MAGTOTO
Baretang Bikolnon
Students from Bicol University held a lightning protest during their graduation rites on July 12. Photos of the placards being seized from the students circulated on social media. They showed cadets of the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) taking away the placards and preventing the students from continuing with their protest.
Student leader Dani De Jesus was among the graduates that the ROTC cadets tried to stop from protesting. She was then holding a placard bearing the call ‘Hands off Justine Mesias’. Mesias was a student from the same university facing charges of alleged illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
De Jesus said, “If it weren’t for the red-tagging and fabricated cases of the state, I’m sure Justine would join the lightning rally too.” According to Rise for Education-Bicol University, the cadets’ actions revealed how repressive and anti-student the ROTC can be.
The Kabataan Partylist also said in a statement that the cadets’ disruption of protest in Bicol University was “a sample of repression under mandatory ROTC”. The group also called for an investigation of the incident, underscoring that the actions were a violation of the students’ right to free expression.
Students and youth organizations have opposed the move to bring back mandatory ROTC in universities. It should be recalled that the ROTC was made an elective subject following the killing of University of Santo Tomas student Mark Welson Chua in 2001. The killing reportedly stemmed from Chua’s uncovering of the corruption surrounding the ROTC program at the university.
According to student leader Kej Andres from Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, the incident in Bicol University involving ROTC cadets adds to long list of reasons to oppose the mandatory ROTC and “ban the presence of soldiers and police in all schools.” #
