More than 3,000 students, teachers, and staff of the University of the Philippines (UP) staged a walkout on Friday, September 12, in what has been described as the biggest campus protest action since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wearing black shirts and carrying red placards, the UP community poured out of classrooms and converged at the iconic Arts and Sciences Steps in Palma Hall to denounce alleged corruption in the government’s flood control projects, cuts in the university’s budget, and broader issues such as attacks on press freedom and the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Philippine Collegian reported that similar protests were also held in UP Manila, UP Tacloban, and extension programs in Pampanga and Olongapo.
The protest, dubbed the Black Friday Protest, had the support of UP Chancellor Edgardo Vistan along with deans from various colleges, who openly endorsed the call for accountability.
Former College of Science dean Giovanni Tapang gave a fiery message during the rally, saying, “Hindi natin nakikita kung saan nila gusto dalhin ang kinabukasan ng bayan… kinabukasan ko, kinabukasan natin ang ninanakaw.”
Rommel Rodriguez, vice president of the All UP Academic Employees Union, challenged UP President Angelo Jimenez to stand with the protesters and probe alleged anomalies inside the university itself. “Kailangan sumama siya sa pagkilos upang managot ang mga tiwali sa unibersidad,” Rodriguez said.
The gathering pressed on despite a police vehicle being spotted near the campus. Organizers noted the uncertainty of its presence but carried on until rain forced protesters inside Palma Hall, where they ended the action with a solemn singing of UP Naming Mahal.
The night before the protest, Jimenez himself expressed support for the mobilization, condemning what he called “deep-seated and massive corruption plaguing the flood control projects.” He stressed that the university “cannot stay neutral” and vowed to uphold integrity in UP’s procurement processes.
Jimenez added, “We shall employ all legal means to ensure full accountability, in fulfilment of our continuing duty to serve the Filipino people.” He also emphasized that beyond condemning corruption, UP’s mission is to use education and research to offer solutions to the country’s most urgent problems.
The protest comes at the height of national outrage over the multibillion-peso flood control projects flagged for alleged corruption. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has since ordered an investigation, created an independent commission, and suspended future flood control budgets as scrutiny on government contractors intensifies.
