UP Diliman political parties unite against Marcos candidacy

MANILA, Philippines – In a rare gesture of solidarity among fierce rivals, political parties in the University of the Philippines in Dililman joined forces to oppose the candidacy of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“No to Bongbong Marcos. Never forget Martial Law,” they said in a statement released two days before the elections.

“We won against Marcos Sr. before. On May 9, as we cast our ballots, we will win against Marcos Jr. as well,” they added.

Marcos is among the frontrunners in the vice presidential race. He is the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, whose leadership was characterized by widespread human rights violations. Many students at the state university led in protests against Martial Law. 

The statement was signed by the University of the Philippines-Diliman Student Council (UPD-USC), UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA), KAISA – Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan (KAISA UP), and Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP).

The unity statement comes a month after former UP Diliman student leaders declared unity against the candidacy of Marcos. 

The political parties urged fellow Iskolar ng Bayan to join them in opposing the bid of Marcos for the second highest post in the land.

“We, the student leaders and formations in the University, believe that now is the time for us to unite against continuous impunity and the return of a dictatorship. Together we decry the atrocities committed by the Marcoses and seek justice for the victims,” the statement said. 

They also demanded that the Marcos family return the “massive plundered wealth” back to the Filipino people.

The post quickly made rounds online, getting almost 3,000 reactions and more than 3,000 shares as of this writing. 

KAISA UP led student politics in UP Diliman in 2014. It is known for its yellow color and is considered as the “middle party” among the three. ALYANSA took over the following year after winning key positions. The university turned red this year after giving STAND UP a landslide victory in the recent student elections. 

Incoming USC chairperson Bryle Leaño said the unity statement is a “good way” of promoting not only solidarity, but also awareness of social issues across the UP community.

The history behind the statement

UP students were known for fighting Martial Law. The university was the focus of a lot of protests and demonstrations, including the the First Quarter Storm and the Diliman Commune. 

The Faculty Center, which was gutted by fire last month, also served as a hiding place for members of anti-Marcos protesters then.

“We must hold not only the Marcoses, but also the previous and current administrations accountable for letting them scot-free in the repeating atrocities, such as human rights violations and the continuing plunder of taxes that they have committed against the Filipinos,” Leaño said. – Rappler.com