Campus publications, not only in Central Luzon but across the country have always been in the line of fire, at the forefront of the people’s struggle. The Angelite, the official student publication of Holy Angel University, has survived almost a century of regimes one of which a tyrannical rule much like the one we are facing now.
The Angelite commends every student formation that extended their help to the 5th-year students in one way or another, especially the concerned students themselves who tirelessly fought for their rights. In which they sought help from HAU SPEAK NOW, an alliance of student councils, publications, and organizations, as they have done so in the past. Alliance members lay witness to the struggle of the students and their need for support, councils such as the University Student Council (USC) were responsive and offered their sincerest assistance, and did everything in their power to lobby the concerns of the students to the administration.
Meanwhile, The Angelite as a student publication fulfilled its task in the critical reportage of the matter at hand. If only the College Student Council of the School of Engineering and Architecture (CSC-SEA) has responded to the inquiries of the publication’s correspondents then this would have been gladly included in the news stories as every effort of any student formation in the struggle of the student body is always commendable. The fact remains, each and every council, organization, publication, and the concerned students were an integral part of the process.
The argument for a “proper venue” loses its essence when the council involved has acknowledged the publication for reaching out in their social media accounts but failed to respond regarding the concerns. In the two-week stretch of reaching out, the council should have stated the standards of “proper venue” as the publication would be more than welcome to comply.
Instead, councilors left the correspondents on seen while the chairperson herself, Ms. Theresa Louise Ancheta, only provided a one-sentence answer hours after the first article was published, two weeks prior to the initial inquiry.
These inquiries student publications conduct are not for the self-righteous purpose of “publicization”, the student body has every right to transparency to these processes instead of them being in the dark. This took a quick turn when the report garnered “opposing views” from the council, comparable to the national scene when the media is under fire for stating the truth.
Too many times people remain unknowing about the true role of a student journalist, it’s not merely “writing about what you think the people want to read”, the moment that the ink has met the paper a stand has already been chosen—always, for the students. In under no circumstance will the publication compromise its consonance to the highest ethical guides of journalism, credible information and sources are always guaranteed. Along with this, it is not in our moral standards to reveal the names of our sources when they asked to keep their anonymity.
In its 83rd year, The Angelite continues to embody its militant spirit through critical releases that are one with the call of the student body. Questions about the firm stand and credibility of the publication have risen, many of these statements are deemed malicious and baseless. As an institution forged by the people and for the people, The Angelite opens its arm to criticisms as the public has every right to scrutinize any campus formation. Yet there is a fine line between legitimate concerns and malicious accusations.
Students alike should unite for a single cause, butting heads against each other is counterproductive and strikes a gap within the student body. The Angelite reiterates that there are greater concerns that the community must unite against, the neoliberal nature of our education that hinder many students from completing their education, and the tyrannical and fascist Duterte regime during the COVID-19 pandemic
