Youth group urges universities to endorse Edsa People Power protests
MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, a youth group on Tuesday urged universities to endorse on-campus protests and other activities to commemorate the historic day.
In a statement, the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said educational institutions must help the new generation remember history, stressing that February 25 should “neither be treated as another normal working day nor a detached calendar holiday.”
“The National Union of Students of the Philippines calls on schools and universities to declare February 25 as a Day of Remembrance and Action, endorse student activities related to the EDSA People Power Commemoration, and encourage the students to join the protests leading up to and on February 25,” they added.
The NUSP also said the 40th Edsa Revolution anniversary occurs “at a tragic scene where history seems to rhyme again,” referring to another Marcos presidency and the persistence of alleged corruption and plunder.
The group further urged universities to allow students to fully exercise academic freedom on campus.
“We call on administrators to foster an environment where students can freely organize and mobilize for their advocacies without fear of retribution from the state or their own schools,” the NUSP added.
READ: Schools urged to declare Edsa anniversary as ‘academic holiday’
They also pushed back against the recent rise in reported red-tagging, citing student leaders who were detained following a series of anti-corruption protests in the past few months amid the probe into the flood-control scandal.
“We must reject any attempt by the state to turn our Universities into a tool for repression. The activism of students is part of education and should be embraced with pride by schools, not treated as a danger to their reputation,” the group said.
The NUSP also called on students to “take a stand, no matter the occasion,” adding that “ students have the agency to act at a time when our present and future are on the line.”
“The heroes of Martial Law did not wait for class suspensions or directives from their universities to take action. The spirit of EDSA, in the end, is not defined by institutional declarations, but by the collective will of the people,” they said.
READ: NCRPO to deploy up to 14,000 cops for 40th Edsa People Power Anniversary
Contrary to previous administrations, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared Feb. 25, the Edsa People Power Revolution Anniversary, a “special working day” rather than a national holiday.
Despite this, De La Salle Philippines schools have declared class and work suspension on February 25 as a “powerful reminder that democracy is safeguarded when Filipinos collectively stand for truth, justice, and accountability.”
Ateneo de Manila University also declared February 25 as a university holiday to allow the Atenean community to join commemoration activities. A university mass at the Blue Eagle Gym will also be held on February 24 in remembrance of the revolution. /mcm
