Draws flak for continuing regular operations
By Jan Andrei Elizalde and Carla Adeline Via
With the ongoing All-University Intramurals, members of the Silliman University (SU) community gathered to commemorate the 39th EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary on Feb. 25 at the SU Labyrinth.
Attendees wore black to “remember the bravery of those who stood against tyranny and fought for truth, justice, and democracy.”
Dubbed “Bumalik-tanaw, Bumalikwas,” the commemoration was organized by the SU Student Government, Dakila Dumaguete, SU Divinity School, and Kabataan Partylist – Negros Oriental.
Moreover, Kabataan Partylist QB Vincent delivered a talk on the rise and fall of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Their talk focused on the global and national context of Marcos’ dictatorship, alongside a brief outline of its timeline and developments.
This was followed with an open discussion by event participants. “Let this [event] be a reminder that the EDSA revolution wasn’t just one day, it was a series of conscious actions,” Sillimanian Kyla Sarita shared.
She also emphasized the essence of coming together to commemorate the revolution.
“Seeing everyone here, bahala sa edad, sa social status, sa kinaadman, nagkahiusa jud ta ug ang atong bugtong na tumong is to remember what happened in EDSA,” Sarita said.
(Seeing everyone here, despite their age, social status, and experiences, we still united with one specific reason: to remember what happened in EDSA.)
Sillimanians also delivered solidarity messages on behalf of their respective affiliations: Stephen Jardin of DAKILA Dumaguete, Wilkens Abordo of SUSG Advocacy Committee, and Dr. Karl James Villarmea of SU Faculty Association.
A candle lighting was also held at the SU West Quadrangle following the event.
Netizens express frustration over advisory
Last Feb. 22, the university issued an advisory on the Malacanang’s Proclamation No. 727, s. 2024 which declared Feb. 25 as a special working day.
The advisory noted that regular office operations, basic education classes, and intramural games will proceed.
“Although the EDSA Anniversary is not an official non-working holiday, [SU] strongly encourages its community to commemorate this historic event—a moment that highlighted the Filipino spirit in resisting human rights abuses and advocating for essential government reforms,” it stated.
However, the university received concerns from its community members for keeping its operations active.
“I’m extremely disappointed with Silliman’s official stand in the face of not-so-past political history and the current re-shaping of such momentous political upheaval by the same family,” Facebook netizen Sansen Lee Vendiola commented.
Another netizen, John Philip Perez, expressed their disappointment towards the issue.
“This is not the Silliman I know of and studies at. Do better! Let us honor the past accordingly,” he wrote.
Moreover, DAKILA Dumaguete President John Edison Tubil highlighted the university’s capacity to commemorate the revolution’s anniversary.
“There’s so much history within Silliman, there’s so much stories within Silliman during the Martial Law era… [It] is so rich in that history and it’s just sad to see it now—just basically nothing. So we want a stronger stance from the admin, we want more events,” he said.
The university posted a commemoration piece on its official Facebook page, including citations on the Martial Law experience in the context of SU and Dumaguete.
“This list is by no means an exhaustive collection on the event; rather, we hope it will spark genuine interest, encouraging all of us to center the stories about Martial Law and EDSA Revolution, exploring more resources, and inviting us to contribute fresh, relevant insights to the discourse,” SU wrote.
