Gapan City College says red-green theme for anniversary soft launch 'misunderstood'

PAMPANGA, Philippines – A memorandum issued by Gapan City College (GCC) in Nueva Ecija to its students on Wednesday, February 9, has fueled a social media storm, as it had asked the student body to wear red and green for an activity the following day.

The memo, signed by Office of Student Affairs Director Lyra Anne Padrid, asked all fully vaccinated students to gather at the city’s strategic Bucana, in San Vicente, some 2.3 kilometers from the school.

The students were advised to wear red or green t-shirts “for identification purposes.” The letter said advisers would monitor their attendance.

Rappler called the GCC early on Friday, February 11, but on-the-job trainee Patrick Lansangan said officials were “busy” with activities and nobody was available to give a statement.

The GCC later released a statement on its official Facebook account that tried to explain the memorandum.

“We will be celebrating our 4th Charter Anniversary this coming February 14-18, 2022 as promoted on our Facebook pages and we want to have our soft opening by leading a parade/motorcade from the center of Gapan City to our school grounds to launch our collaborative project with OSA and NSTP entitled: ‘Kalinga para sa Kalikasan,'” it stated.

“The aforementioned memo was intended to be circulated within the jurisdiction of our college, thus it was not specific as to what the assembly was for. This may have led to its purpose being misunderstood,” the school also clarified.

The GCC said the project was a tree planting activity, strategized as a community outreach for its charter anniversary celebration via motorcade, to encourage bystanders and onlookers to participate in the project.

GCC, however, still did not explain why the students were advised to wear red or green t-shirts for the activity which was reportedly canceled.

Netizens claimed that the February 10 event coincided with the scheduled Metro Manila to Gapan City-Cabanatuan leg of the Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride of vice presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. Red and green are the campaign colors of Duterte and presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The government-controlled Philippine News Agency also shared the calendar, which listed the activity.

Duterte was in Valenzuela City on Thursday, February 10, for a campaign sortie with Marcos Jr. Her official Facebook page only showed Valenzuela and Bulacan events for that day.

She posted the Nueva Ecija stretch on Friday.

Coincidentally, the school did not show any photos of the February 10 activity on its Facebook page and there was no indication that it pushed through.

Rappler asked the Commission on Higher Education Central Luzon about the event and was told that it was not aware about it and referred the inquiry to the school.