PRESS RELEASE: BulSU SRW calls university admin to intensify BulSUans' protection

Anamarie Antolin

October 08, 2023 The Bulacan State University Student Rights and Welfare (BulSU-SRW) has called on the university administration to intensify the protection, and safe spaces of BulSUans, following a series of surveillances, and intimidations directed at students involved in the Castro-Tamano case efforts, including SG Senator Althea Trinidad.

"The situations happening to our fellow BulSU students are no different from what is happening to our fellow Filipino people that [are] being abducted, harassed, and worst─getting killed," the committee said in a press statement released on Sunday, October 8.

Last September 22, Trinidad, an active volunteer for the surface, and release of former BulSUans and human rights activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, was summoned to the Dean's office, and asked if she was a member of an underground organization, and was recruiting students. This follows the senator's and committee chair's participation in the Plaridel, Bulacan mass action.

Trinidad was also advised to concentrate on her studies rather than engaging in activities that "amplify the grievances towards the government."

Similarly, the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) called for three of their students, who were also volunteers in the aforementioned case's mass actions. Students were also instructed to "pause and reevaluate" themselves, akin to Trinidad's experience.

Parallelism to departmental and university goals

Trinidad, a Legal Management student from the CCJE department, slammed the administration in a post last Friday, October 6, noting that her activities do not contradict what the department should fight for as stated in its general objectives.

"Hindi ba't ang obhetibo kung bakit tayo estudyante sa kolehiyong ito ay para sa pagsusulong ng hustisya, pagsisiguro ng paggana ng mga batas na nagsisilbi sa sambayanan, at pagiging makabayan na pinoproteksyunan ang karapatan, panirahan at kapakanan ng mamamayan?" she wrote in a Facebook post.

She further stated that being a legal management student might take different forms. "...kung hindi ako magiging aktibista habang Legal Management student ako, parang hindi ko naman isinasapraktika ang pagiging estudyante ko sa kursong ito...Walang mali sa pagiging aktibista. Walang mali sa pagiging mulat at pagiging progresibo. Walang mali sa pakikibaka."