Students from the University of the Philippines Visayas tackled social and political issues during their annual Cheering Competition on Wednesday, October 16. Skimmers, one of the academic organizations that partook in the competition, performed their cheer which touched upon several moral, social and political issues. An 18-minute video of Skimmers’ performance uploaded to the internet has gone viral with some social media pages pages singling out satirical comments made by the organization against the present administration as “seditious.” This has made Skimmers, its members and adviser, the target of widespread online harassment and cyberbullying through threats of violence and doxing though publication of their personal pictures and identities in various social media pages.
The Commission stands with the University of the Philippines Visayas and its student government in condemning actions that undermine and impinge upon student activism and academic freedom. While freedom of belief is absolute, the freedom to act based on belief and the freedom of expression is subject to limitations of the law. The posting of the identities and pictures of individuals without their consent is not only a violation of their right to privacy but also a violation of the Data Privacy Act. Red-tagging or labelling groups before an objective judgement violates the due process of the law and the Constitutional guarantee of presumption of innocence and may have serious implications on the security and movement of individuals and groups involved.
The Commission stresses that in times of disagreement, peaceful discourse is the only way forward. Threats or acts of violence is inimical to national development. The Commission stands ready to defend academic freedom and extends its support to peaceful student activism.