The Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) has apologized for mishandling the cases of sexual harassment perpetrated by its members, one week after the allegations surfaced online and during the Aktibista forum.
In a statement released yesterday, the red party admitted that sexual harassment cases have been committed within their ranks over the past years and that they were unable to resolve issues raised by victims.
“We also criticize ourselves that current mechanisms and policies, along with the faulty and flawed implementations, were not enough in addressing the problem of sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence within the alliance,” STAND UP wrote.
On May 4, the political party’s standard bearers, Neo Aison and Louise Espiña, came under fire during the forum from their former members for the party’s deliberate concealment of sexual harassment committed within STAND UP’s ranks.
The points raised at the forum sparked discussions online, with survivors coming forward with their accounts of harassment perpetrated by members of the party. Victims were silenced to “preserve public image,” former STAND UP and University Student Council (USC) Chairperson Froilan Cariaga said during Aktibisita.
The narratives online also reveal that these transgressions have been ongoing for at least several years, reflecting an institutional failure of the party to discipline and hold its erring member to account.
Following the tumultuous result of the forum for the party, their original nine councilor bets dropped to one, while six local chapters disaffiliated. They wrote that the university-wide alliance’s inaction to disclose these issues “shocked, saddened, and disturbed” them.
The red party’s USC slate is now only composed of Aison for chairperson, Espiña for vice chairperson, and Mattheo Wovi Villanueva for councilor. Their candidates for college representatives have individually disaffiliated as well.
This means that STAND UP will be unable to continue its dominance within the USC. They will face their main rival, UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran, and independent candidates, six of whom were part of their original slate.
The party said that they have taken initiatives to resolve the cases, including the establishment of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Desk, amending the alliance’s constitution, and recalibration of its executive board.
The members of its new board, however, have yet to be disclosed. It will be composed of the heads of STAND UP-affiliated organizations.
STAND UP wrote that it will “march forward towards achieving justice for victims of all kinds of abuse, rectifying errors, and pursuing greater unities.” They are now calling for victims of sexual harassment to come forward for the expedition of its investigation of the cases. ●
