The year 2023 revolved around conflicts.
Within UP, the dubious selection of top-ranking university officials marred Quezon Hall. Despite multiple calls for transparency among the members of the community, the UP Board of Regents remained mum.
Malacañang also raised questions for the nation. From continued human rights violations to throwing support behind Israel’s occupation of Palestine, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made a scene.
Amid all these, voices of protest continued to ring louder.
JANUARY
Nine indigenous peoples' (IP) rights advocates in Cordillera were arrested by the Baguio City Police on January 24 for trumped-up insurrection and rebellion charges. Among the nine was Jennifer Awingan, mother of UP Diliman (UPD) student and IP rights advocate Kara Taggaoa. Since 2020, Awingan and her fellow activists have been red-tagged and threatened by state forces.
FEBRUARY
February ushered a new era for the university, as Angelo Jimenez was officially installed as the 22nd UP president. This comes after the controversial December 9, 2022 selection, with the UP community noting Jimenez’s appointment lacking transparency.
UP Fair’s organizing committee apologized for allowing the controversial Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity to become a night handler. Upsilon, known for the “Lonsi Leaks,” has a history of perpetrating hate speech and violence, including the 2018 rumble in Palma Hall.
MARCH
Luis Teodoro, a figure of Philippine alternative media, passed away at the age of 81. He previously served as the dean of the UP College of Mass Communication and an editor for the Philippine Collegian. He would later chair the newly established alternative media network, Altermidya.
APRIL
Just three months after Jimenez was selected, fraternal relations once again came into question as the BOR picked UP Law Dean Edgardo Carlo Vistan II as the 12th UPD chancellor. This is despite sectoral backing for his predecessor, Fidel Nemenzo.
A little over a week later, six activists, including UPD student Gabriel Magtibay, were nabbed by the police during a protest against the Balikatan war games in front of the US Embassy. Charges were later dropped, and Magtibay was released from police custody.
MAY
While the year has not even made it halfway through, two more IP rights advocates were reported missing. UP Baguio alumni Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz “Bazoo” De Jesus were believed to have been abducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Taytay, Rizal. To this day, the two remain missing.
In Diliman, Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP’s bid for another term in the University Student Council (USC) crashed as mishandled sexual harassment cases surfaced. This led to the withdrawal of the entire party from the polls.
This, however, did not spell the return of UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran into the USC, as abstention dominated the polls on May 24, leaving the council headless.
JUNE
In Negros Occidental, farmers continue to endure human rights violations. On June 14, a family of sugarcane farmers, including two minors, were killed by the military after months of red-tagging by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
JULY
More than two years into the pandemic, Marcos officially declared the end of the COVID-19 health emergency. But a new concern came into center stage as the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund was finalized. The fund, which will siphon money from government-owned enterprises and banks, is criticized by economists for its risks of bankruptcy and corruption.
AUGUST
Two more cases of human rights violations were highlighted in August.
The death of Lumad school teacher Jhon Rowe Libot was confirmed by the Save Our Schools Network. He was killed by the military’s 37th Infantry Battalion in General Santos City. Testimonies revealed that only three gunshots were heard, suggesting that there was no exchange of gunfire that led to Libot’s death like the military forces claimed. Jemboy Baltazar, 17, on the other hand, was killed by Navotas City Police after being misidentified. The perpetrators, like in other narratives of police violence cases, supposedly had malfunctioning body cameras.
SEPTEMBER
State health insurer PhilHealth’s database was breached by the Medusa ransomware, paralyzing its operations. It took nine days before the agency admitted the incident. The hackers accessed and published private information, including medical records and membership details.
This event was followed by hacking incidents into the websites of Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Science and Technology, and the Philippine National Police.
OCTOBER
After almost four months, the USC has finally filled its top ranks after a special election. Outgoing Vice Chairperson Sunshine Reyes won the chairperson post, along with Sean Latorre as vice chairperson and three more councilors. The polls, however, recorded the lowest voter turnout since the adoption of the current USC Election Code.
In the international scene, tensions heightened in the Gaza Strip as US-backed Israel bombed the Palestinian territory. As of writing, more than 15,900 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military forces.
NOVEMBER
The national government has brokered an agreement with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to restart peace talks. This came after a six-year suspension of the negotiations under Duterte’s term.
After nearly seven years in custody, former Sen. Leila de Lima has been released on bail pending the conclusion of her trumped-up drug charges. She is only one of nearly 800 political prisoners in the country.
DECEMBER
In Marawi, four people died and more than 50 were injured after a bombing incident transpired during a mass at Mindanao State University-Marawi. Islamic State militants have taken responsibility over the incident. ●
A correction was made on Dec. 19, 2023: The print version of this article interchanged the April and May news reports. The box labeled as April should be under the month of May, and the one labeled with May should be under April.
