The Philippine Collegian has long believed that the role of the student publication is inseparably entwined with the student movement. The publication, thus, stands unwavering in its legacy of fearless reportage that is unapologetically biased toward the interests of the students.
With the trend of declining student participation afflicting the university on top of controversies embroiling progressive organizations, recalling and learning from the Collegian's historical role in the movement is imperative as it pursues its emancipatory mission amid turbulent times.
Resisting Commercial Takeovers
As early as the 1990s, the publication contested the privatization of education and commercialization of campus spaces. A portion of UP Diliman’s land was reserved for income generation under UP President Emil Javier’s 1994 Land Use Plan. In response, the Collegian released an article in 1994 exposing the displacement of communities and rising student expenses entailed by the supposed infrastructural benefits to UP.
In 2004, the publication reported that 129 hectares of UP Diliman's land, designated for commercial use, were home to about a dozen communities, including Pook Amorsolo and Pook Aguinaldo, each with a population of thousands. In the same year, the publication strengthened its stance against the UP Charter Bill, arguing that insufficient government funding led to the commercialization of campus spaces, and in turn, of education, where it is treated as a commodity rather than a readily accessible service to students.
After two years, under former UP President Emerlinda Roman, various UP units faced several tuition and miscellaneous fee increases. The Collegian exposed how essential university services—once guaranteed to students—became less accessible. Library fees doubled from P400 to P800, and dormitory fees were set for a 20% increase.
This long-standing resistance to privatization and commercialization of education persists today. With the opening of DiliMall, the Collegian continued to scrutinize the UP administration’s development plans. An investigative article exposed the project’s exclusionary planning, revealing opaque deals with a third-party firm that would heavily burden UP stallholders with exorbitant rental costs.
At the height of the campaign against DiliMall, the Collegian also released numerous multimedia posts, articles, and coverages that detail the perils of the ventures to different sectors in the university.
When Robinson EasyMart’s opening in DiliMall was announced on Nov. 13, 2024, the Collegian published an editorial, condemning President Angelo Jimenez for sacrificing the university’s values of community participation and democratic deliberation to the altar of profit. This marked a bolder tone by the editorial board, declaring that Jimenez’s “chance has since passed.”
Defending the Right to Dissent
As commercialization deepens, so too does curtailment of dissent. The commitment to challenging the encroachments on press and academic freedom has not come without resistance.
In 1931, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines was established. The Collegian was one of its founding members. Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, the publication’s third editor-in-chief, was the first president of the guild. Under his leadership, the guild united campus publications in advocating for student rights, press freedom, and social justice.
During the 1960s, the Congressional Committee on Anti-Filipino Activities (CAFA) investigated student publications for alleged communist-oriented articles, threatening press freedom in the university.
When former editor-in-chief Reynato Puno was summoned to court on March 9, 1961, for an allegedly “leftist” article released by the Collegian, the publication remained firm in its fight against disinformation. At the end of the March 14, 1961 issue, the publication, together with the student body of UP Diliman, strongly urged that “the investigations be terminated speedily so as to restore the academic poise of the University.”
The transgressions on press freedom bleed into other liberties, such as academic freedom. When Donato Continente, a staffer from the Collegian, was abducted on his way out of Vinzons Hall on June 16, 1989, the UP community fiercely fought for their right to study without the interference of state forces. His arrest led to the establishment of the UP-DND Accord in 1989, an agreement between UP and the Department of National Defense prohibiting unauthorized police and military presence on campus.
When this pact was unilaterally abrogated in 2021, the Collegian stood critical of the threats this termination posed to the UP community, tracking the number of state forces entering the university and amplifying the calls to institutionalize the accord and have a systemwide academic freedom committee.
One in the Struggle
Key to the success of such past movements is energized participation. For years, the Collegian has consistently interrogated issues affecting student politics on campus. The publication publishes annual university student council assessments and some campaign trails during the elections.
Nearing campaign periods, the publication has become a platform for candidates to make their advocacies known. With several articles discussing the concerns that must be addressed and multimedia releases interviewing student council aspirants and voters, the Collegian provided a platform where students can engage with campus politics.
Amid accusations of sexual harassment against leaders and campaigns failing to engage the student body in recent years, trust in the student council and elected officials eroded. As disillusionment grew, a trend of low voter turnouts and declining student participation endured. During the discourse on student participation in the October 2024 special elections, the publication asserted that the conversation should not be limited to whether "abstain" should remain but focus on the deeper issue in the movement underlying people’s possible reasons not to vote for anyone.
Now, the publication reaffirms its commitment to amplifying student voices and challenging those in power as print issues return. While the publication has long challenged injustices and crises, Philippine Collegian Editor-in-Chief Ryan Maltezo emphasized in his turnover speech that the publication must evolve its methods to stay relevant and aid in bolstering engagement among the students.
“Tatanganan ng publikasyon ang hamong mapukaw ang atensyon ng mga mambabasa, mapatimo ang kahalagahan ng aming mga binabalita, at higit sa lahat, magpakilos,” he said. ●
First published in the Feb. 18, 2025 print edition of the Collegian.
