Kimberly Capuyan

Progressive organizations urged the House of Representatives to condemn the University of San Carlos (USC) administration for its alleged suppression of student press freedom and academic rights in a resolution filed on January 23.

Photo Courtesy of Facebook/Today's Carolinian.

The resolution was introduced by representatives Raoul Danniel Manuel (Kabataan Party-list), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party), and France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-list) to address the eviction of student publication Today’s Carolinian (TC) from its remaining office space without prior notice.

“Today’s Carolinian was not given a reasonable time frame to vacate the office or relocate its operations, causing undue disruption to its work as an independent student media outlet,” the resolution read.

It further called on the USC administration to “immediately cease all forms of intimidation and punitive actions against student publications and to reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom and students’ rights.”

The resolution also urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to investigate the university's alleged violations of academic freedom.

In a Facebook post on January 17, TC reported that the USC administration posted a prompt eviction notice on its Downtown Campus office door to repurpose it with an alumni office.

Protests and movements by Cebu-based student publications and sectoral organizations were raised in support of TC following the publication’s displacement.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) described the USC admin’s move to have a “repressive and violent take on students’ democratic rights to free expression, participation, and access to information.”

A press release on January 23 also reaffirmed the support of the CEGP-Cebu to the resolution as a commitment to defending press freedom and ending the repression of student publications.

The TC Editorial Board raised a petition on January 20 to call for reinstatement of its funding and offices, support for its coverage, and waive the traditional and bureaucratic application process of the Office of Student Formation and Activities (OSFA).

The TC reported in a Facebook post on January 24 that national, local, and tertiary student organizations expressed their support for the publication.

In August 2024, a TC office at the USC Talamban Campus was replaced by the Campus Ministry.

The USC administration allegedly defunded the TC in 2019 for releasing critical reports on the university’s proposed Tuition and Other Fees Increase (TOFI) at the time.