Cebu students stage walkout

The Manila Times

Cebu students stage walkout  Kabataan Party-list second nominee Paolo Echavez joined students from various universities in Cebu City on March 17 as they staged a walkout to protest budget cuts in state universities, rising tuition, and repressive school policies.  Echavez also emphasized their demand for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and conviction, Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment, and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s accountability, stressing that these calls were tied to broader issues affecting the education sector and student rights.   VIDEO BY KAISER JAN FUENTES   Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net     Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook   Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram   Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter   DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion     Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify   Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts   Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic   Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #themanilatimes #tmtnews  #philippines

Transcript

00:00Justice for the victims of the IJK! Justice! Justice for John Paul! Justice! Justice for the children! Justice! Justice for the homeless! Justice!

00:17The decision-making body of the university. So whatever policies, whatever revisions in our student manual that the administration implements,

00:26we as students cannot have a say on it because the University of San Carlos Supreme Student Council does not have a seat in the policy-making body.

00:34So this is what we mean when we are demanding for genuine student representation.

00:38That we want to be able to have a say on the matters affecting us, on the policies, on the changes that the administration is making inside the campuses.

00:48Aside from our calls at the university, we're also joining other student groups, youth groups, calling for the Duterte arrest. Can you say more about it?

00:59We as Carolina, it has always been in our history to resist not only on political matters within our university, but also issues beyond the four walls of our classroom.

01:10This walkout is also a show of solidarity to other universities that we stand with them in our calls for accountability from the Dutertes and the Marcoses.

01:20Especially with the grave negligence of the demands and the welfare of the Filipino people.

01:26What are the hopes of Hans Balila regarding the arrest of Duterte?

01:33I think I can speak as a collective with the rest of the council and the rest of the Carolinians.

01:37That we want Duterte to be held accountable for his crimes against humanity.

01:41We want justice for EJK victims, justice for Hannes de Sista, a Carolinian lawyer who was martyred by the state forces.

01:48And also accountability for the Marcoses, for that matter.

02:03Defend yourself! Defend the state!

02:10Defend! Defend! Defend our freedom!

02:19We want to register our calls for accountability, even if they are not limited to the classroom.

02:24We need to make our calls heard, not only in our own universities, but also in the national government.

02:34Where are the calls we have brought?

02:37First, the student repression.

02:40There is a lot of hope in organizing the students and the critics of the students in their respective universities.

02:48Because the repression against the threats of expelment and other organizations,

02:56the student councils and the student publications,

02:59that are trying to expose us to the issues of repression,

03:04against the offices, against the budgets.

03:08We are now fighting for the right to organize the students.

03:13Any organization can bring them to the universities,

03:19based on our constitutional rights.

03:22We are fighting for justice for the victims.

03:27Finally, we are fighting for our academic freedom.

03:33We have the right to express ourselves,

03:35and we have the freedom to express ourselves that is guaranteed by our constitutional rights.

03:40Whether critical or not,

03:42the students should not be silenced in their calls,

03:48based on any aspect in society.

03:51First, the students in the major universities,

03:57UP, CNU, USC,

04:00all the students in CIT, Southwestern University, USJR.

04:06First.

04:07I want to say that, sir,

04:09in the recent protests,

04:12there have been homicides against the people in Kaplan.

04:18They're shouting the name, they're screaming at you.

04:21What is your opinion on that?

04:23Okay.

04:24The youth here in Sugbo,

04:27should be jailed.

04:29They should be jailed.

04:31Because there are too many crimes against the youth,

04:33especially in this drug war.

04:36There are too many victims.

04:37Over 150 youth were killed in the drug war.

04:41They didn't even go to trial.

04:43One of them died,

04:45Kian De Los Santos,

04:46who was waiting for his exam the next day,

04:48but he was killed by the police.

04:50He has nothing to say,

04:52he has nothing to say in his calls.

04:55So,

04:56this is one of the sins of Luterte against the youth,

05:01against the red tagging,

05:03against the repression of the students,

05:06against the terror law.

05:08The terror law that is being created,

05:10that is being created by the student activists,

05:13by the students,

05:14by the youth journalists,

05:16are being jailed during Luterte's time.

05:19So,

05:20those who are here in the ICC,

05:22those are being jailed by Luterte.

05:25It's not just Sara Luterte herself,

05:28and her actions,

05:29in the past,

05:30in her abuse of her salary,

05:32or rather,

05:33in her life,

05:34in the past.

05:36She should be convicted,

05:37she should be impeached.

05:40Is there going to be a court warrant for this September in the ICC?

05:43This September in the ICC,

05:45until Luterte's charges are confirmed,

05:48because there are a lot of proofs,

05:51a lot of evidence,

05:53in her drug war,

05:57in her killing innocent people.

06:00There are only 43 cases,

06:03the evidence is very strong,

06:06but there are still a lot of cases that can't be checked in the ICC.

06:12But,

06:13we're looking forward to confirming the charges this September.

06:16This June 30,

06:18in Sara Luterte's impeachment trials,

06:20a lot of progress will be made.

06:36For more information, visit www.icc.org

06:41For more information, visit www.icc.org

06:46For more information, visit www.icc.org

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