Campus publications from the University of the Philippines (UP) decried similar woes about their respective admins intervening in publication matters.
On the second day of the biannual congress of UP Solidaridad—the Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers’ Organizations—Tug-ani of UP Cebu (UPC), Himati of UP Mindanao (UPMin), and UPB Outcrop of UP Baguio (UPB) said administrative offices interfered with their reportage on campus affairs.
In a letter sent by UPMin’s Office of the Chancellor in October 2024, Himati was reprimanded for “breaching journalism ethics” and campus by-laws for publishing a now-deleted news update on the signature campaign conducted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) faculty for the immediate resignation of CHSS Dean Jhoanna Lynn Cruz.
The office cited National Union of Journalists of the Philippines’ code of ethics for fair reporting and UP’s 1961 Revised University Code, specifically articles 247 and 248, stating the prohibition of publication of admin-related matters extending further to campus press.
Articles 247 and 248 of the 1961 Revised University Code of the University of the Philippines. Scan by UP Office of the Secretary University.
The intervention forced Himati to halt further investigation into the signature campaign.
Likewise, Tug-ani Editor-in-Chief (EIC) Ritzie Daniel Lao shared that they received an email from UPC’s Office of Student Affairs (OSA) Director Ma. Alena Macasil, who relayed her colleague’s concerns about the publication allegedly targeting their office.
The flagged report addressed the statement of last year’s Martial Law commemoration chalk protest organizers on OSA tagging the event as a form of “vandalism.”
In an interview with Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP), Lao stressed that independent student publications have editorial independence, granting them the right to their content, and are committed to delivering the truth with factual accuracy.
“[W]e uphold ethical journalism and ensure that our articles are grounded in facts,” said Lao in a meeting with OSA to clarify the issue.
UPB Outcrop, on the other hand, was asked by Vice Chancellor for Administration Jerico Bacani to “tone down” their releases and focus instead on reporting the Indigenous People community after the 2024 All Colleges Assembly.
“Sinabi na bawasan ang pagiging political para hindi madiscourage ang mga parents to send their children sa UP Baguio,” UPB Outcrop EIC Joseph John Melo Beaniza said via correspondence with Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP).
Although UPB Outcrop and Tug-ani successfully cleared their issues through discussions with the concerned officers, Himati took down their posts.
According to Himati EIC Jay Lozano, their editorial board complied with the administration’s order during their dialogue, fearing retaliation from officials if they refused to delete the post.
“While ‘di nila sinabi na mag-press [ng case] talaga sila, may instances na kasi sa UPMin na umaabot sa kasuhan ang mga bagay-bagay,” Lozano added in relation to their published editorial regarding campus press suppression.
Lozano also recalled an incident six years ago wherein OSA said that the publication’s budget—allocated by the government under the Free Tuition Law—could no longer be used for activities deemed “anti-government” or critical of the administration.
RELATED: Lack of funding after free tuition law paralyzes student publications
Yearly incident
College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), the alliance of collegiate student publications across the country, identified administrative intervention as the third most prevalent campus press freedom violation (CPV), comprising 35 out of the 206 CPFV cases in the country from 2023 to 2024.
College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) tallied reports of campus press freedom violations throughout 2023-2024. Graphics by CEGP.
Since 2023, UP campus publications have expressed how officials intrude on their affairs.
READ: UP student pubs to assert rights to coverage, information and funding
Last year, TNP reported that UP campus publications were experiencing interference from the admin, including Himati and UP Vista of UP Tacloban, who were asked to take down a post due to possible “misleading” content. Meanwhile, a Manila Collegian staffer from UP Manila was prohibited from entering campus for wearing a press ID.
UP Solidaridad recognized these interventions as CPFV, entailing a decline in event coverage, access to information, and use of allocated funds.
In return, UP student publications passed a resolution to endorse a media safety guideline handbook in every constituent unit and to assert campus publications’ rights to coverage, information and funding.
Furthermore, UP Solidaridad Chair Gie Rodenas said in an interview with TNP that they had appointed media safety officers to assist campus publications after expanding its national executive council to Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Metro Manila.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified former UP Baguio (UPB) Vice Chancellor for Administration Dr. Santos Jose Dacanay III as the official who intervened with UPB Outcrop. The post has been updated to reflect the correct information. We apologize for the oversight.
