19/09/2026
๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก: ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ!
The proposal to turn the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) into the "National University for Sustainability Studies" sounds inspiring on paper: more funding, stronger research, and a focus on green development. However, it's a textbook power grab in green rhetoric. House Bills 9414 and 9861 offers more impressive titles. However, this means less democracy, more control, and a campus culture in which student voices are only tolerated if they do not inconvenience those in power.
The bill had never even been discussed by the Board of Regents, the university's highest policymaking body. UEP Student Regent, Alpha Mae Marquita said she only learned about it through social media after the bill had been filed.
When a change this massive bypasses the consultation of the student leaders, it is no accident.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ช๐๐๐, ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ง๐๐.
At the recent Balik-Kampus celebration, all the fun was cut short when the University Security Force (USF) violently removed The Pillar's banner reading "Junk HB 9414 & 9861, Defend Press Freedomโ
The Pillar, being the official student-run publication of UEP urged to obtain answers as to why their banner was taken down.
๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ?
The subsequent administrative response? Was a memorandum to shut down the Balik-Kampus activities altogether under the guise of policy violations: "In view of blatant violations of university policies and gross disrespect toward university security personnel".
Student-leaders and student-journalists fought to keep the banner and their right of free speech in a tug-of-war along the stairwell between them and the authorities. "This is the right of the students, hindi ito tama, this is oppression!" said by the University Student Body President during the tug-of-war over the banner.
The symbolism is ugly: student expression treated as a nuisance, not a right.
If a simple banner can become such an issue, what happens if The Pillar asks more pressing questions about the project; its costs and its political strings? Will the questions be truthfully answered? or will there be even more silencing, and even more restrictions?
๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฒ.
โCritical, Fearless, Unapologetic.โ
This is what the student-journalists of The Pillar, has been calling themselves for years. A tagline, where now, we can see it is most evident. They refuse to be silenced.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
The Christi Regian stands firm with The Pillar. We stand firm with Press Freedom, and we stand firm with the truth and nothing but the truth.
When journalists are silenced, the truth is erased. Defend the press today, or lose your voice tomorrow.
๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐!
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words by ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ | The Christi Regian
layout by ๐๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐จ | The Christi Regian
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