Today’s Carolinian eviction spells ‘weak’ campus press freedom, lawmaker says 

FEU Advocate
February 02, 2025 18:01


By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores and Kasharelle Javier

Kabataan Party-list (KPL) Rep. Raoul Manuel deemed that the Today’s Carolinian (TC) office eviction ordered by the University of San Carlos (USC) demonstrates that the existing Republic Act No. 7079 or Campus Journalism Act (CJA) of 1991 falls short of ensuring campus press freedom.

Nakita natin sa case ng Today’s Carolinian na napakadali lang para sa administration ng University of San Carlos na hindi mag-grant ng funding para sa Today’s Carolinian dahil lamang active sila mag-cover ng issues na relevant sa mga estudyante, lalo na halimbawa ang pagtaas ng tuition and other school fees sa kanilang university,” he said in an interview with FEU Advocate.

TC was defunded and has been operating independently since 2019 due to its critical coverage of USC’s administrative policies, particularly issues such as tuition and other fee increases (TOFI).

Last January 17, TC reported receiving a notice from the administration pasted on their remaining office at USC - Downtown Campus, demanding them to vacate the room to make way for the Alumni Office, effective January 15.

Claiming that the vacate order violates academic freedom, the Makabayan bloc, through Manuel and College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), filed House Resolution No. 2193 against USC to the House of Representatives last January 23.

In a separate interview, CEGP spokesperson Brell Lacerna argued that the CJA is outdated and can be weaponized by school administrators to suppress student publications, as proven by TC’s case.

“CJA of 1991 remains weak, outdated, and toothless… Without provisions to mandate [the collection of] publication funds, or to mandate schools to establish student publications, or to penalize school administrators for vilifying student publications with various press attacks, CJA [of] 1991 is loose to recognize press freedom of the studentry,” he said.

Lacerna also pointed out that the USC’s violation of the act lies in its failure to uphold the editorial independence of student publications and its anomalies in using allocated funds, which should have been directly handled by TC and require further investigation.

According to Section 5 of CJA, “no instance shall the Department of Education, Culture and Sports or the school administration concerned withhold the release of funds sourced from the savings of the appropriations of the respective schools and other sources intended for the student publication.”

Despite such provision, there is no guarantee that USC will face consequences due to the claimed flaws in the CJA. Hence, Manuel highlighted the need to strengthen administrative accountability.

“Given ang mga weakness ng Campus Journalism Act, sa totoo lang, at this point, hindi magiging madaliKaya all the more na dapat talaga maisabatas ang mga puwedeng penalties, mga administrative na mga sanctions na puwedeng ipataw du’n sa mga administrators na ginagamit ‘yung kanilang posisyon para apakan ‘yung fundamental rights ng kanilang mga constituents,” he stressed.

Given the CJA’s shortcomings, the resolution also aims to push for house bill Campus Press Freedom Bill (CPF) to reform the existing law.

Na-file natin itong House Resolution No. 2193 para mag-dig deeper du’n sa ganitong recent na nangyari, while ang gusto natin din in the long run ay magkaroon talaga ng mas matibay na proteksiyon for student publications sa porma ng Campus Press Freedom Bill na siyang magiging alternative natin du’n sa Campus Journalism Act,” the KPL representative added.

Similarly, Lacerna emphasized the urgent need to pass the CPF Bill to recognize genuine funding for student publications and uphold editorial independence. 

“It is time that we penalize school administrators that violate campus press rights, and furthermore, investigate more than a hundred campus press freedom violations in the Philippines,” he said. 

Introduced by KPL in 2011, the 13-year-old bill reinforces campus publications’ rights and sets specific sanctions for campus press violations, among others.

CPF was left pending at the committee level in 2011, but was refiled in 2013 and 2016. It has yet to be passed as of writing.

As a result, Manuel urged lawmakers to review their filed resolution and forward the CPF through the technical working group approved by the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education last year.

“[In] that way, napag-uusapan natin itong nangyari sa University of San Carlos, at meron na rin tayong magiging batas para hindi na mangyari ito sa kahit [anumang] student publication saang bahagi man ng bansa (this incident in University of San Carlos will be talked about and we will have a law to prevent this from happening in any student publication in any part of the country),” he said.

Meanwhile, Lacerna described TC’s eviction as ‘below-the-belt’ as it violates students’ press freedom, reflecting an appalling trend among private universities in the Philippines, exposing the colonial, commercialized, and repressive education system. 

Lacerna also added that the USC administration dismissed TC's editorial independence and pressured the publication to be accredited under the Office of Student Formation and Activities (OSFA) to regain funding and office spaces.

According to the CEGP spokesperson, TC’s case would likely ignite discourse among USC’s student body regarding issues on TOFI and repressive policies that threaten students’ democratic rights.

For Lacerna, the case will serve as an avenue for student publications to further criticize the current education system and build stronger alliances to expose the threats to campus press freedom, as well as the need to prioritize education concerns.

The CEGP spokesperson called for an end to the longstanding struggle of the USC students through collective action while urging the administration to cooperate with its students, especially in the discourse on TOFI, and to recognize student councils and publications as academic representations.

TC has garnered support across various student organizations, both national and local, following the publication’s displacement.

Last January 21, members of Today’s Carolinian and The Rise for Education Alliance - USC, joined by progressive student organizations, held a protest in front of the USC Talamban Campus to highlight the importance of campus press and fair democratic representation.

CEGP is currently collaborating with TC, along with Cebu-based publications to advance initiatives such as petition-signing, alliance building, and reclaiming student spaces within the university. 

In an effort to support the publication, TC has opened an avenue for donations through GCash, with details available on its Facebook page.

- With reports from Mark Vincent A. Durano
(Photo by Mark Vincent A. Durano/FEU Advocate; Photo courtesy of Today’s Carolinian Facebook page)