Freshmen getting their first taste of public university life were greeted with infectious, rhythmic cheers on campuses across the country on Aug. 20, as students and faculty from across the University of the Philippines system stood united in a coordinated “Day of Walkout and Action.”
The event was organized in defense of academic freedom and in protest against the government’s plan to crack down on student activism. The fact that the walkout fell on the eve of the 36th death anniversary of the martyred former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.—fiercest critic of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos—fit the narrative neatly. The Diliman delegation alone was composed of more than a thousand students.
Meanwhile, the government has continued to downplay allegations of militarization in public universities. Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya branded these claims as “propaganda by communist rebels.”After the “Day of Walkout,” PNP chief Police Gen.
But a student who requested anonymity summed up the spirit of the “Day of Walkout”: “The University of the Philippines is, first and foremost, the university of the people. This is not where bravery and democracy go to die. In spirit with all those who came before us, we will always be proud to oppose.
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