UP admin must respect Collegian’s autonomy, uphold campus press freedom

N.B. - This is my statement prepared for the press conference of the
Philippine Collegian today (September 18), 11 a.m. at the Vinzons Hall
in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City.

It is ironic that the withholding of the Philippine Collegian’s
printing funds happens as the University of the Philippines (UP) is
preparing for a grand celebration of its centennial in 2008. I am sure
that the current UP administration does not want to go down in history
as “the one that killed the Philippine Collegian.”

And as the nation remembers the imposition of Martial Law on September
21, 1972, the concerned UP administration officials should ask
themselves what they have done lately in upholding campus press freedom
in the University. Just as the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is being
taken to task for its failure to bring to justice those responsible for
the killing of journalists, the UP administration must also be held
accountable for what can be considered a “killing” of a different kind.

While the UP administration stresses the need to follow the law – in
this case Republic Act No. 9184 which requires a public bidding for
procurement amounting to P250,000 and above – it must seriously rethink
its definition of government funds. In the context of campus
journalism, the independent management of publication funds is crucial
to the fulfillment of the campus journalists’ mandate to provide
information that the students need.

That the editors and staff of the Philippine Collegian decided not to
subject to a UP administration- led public bidding its printing does not
mean that they are being stubborn and misinformed. It only shows that
they know the essence of campus press freedom and the importance of not
compromising even aspects of it like the management of its printing
funds.

More than a technical question of whether or not publication funds are
considered government funds, I think the fundamental issue right now
that must be addressed is how far the UP administration is willing to
go in protecting campus press freedom.

As a former college administrator, I can understand the pressure of UP
administration officials in accounting for public funds to free
themselves from any liability. The Commission on Audit (COA), in
particular, could be very strict when it comes to documentation of all
transactions involving government funds.

At this point, however, a line has to be drawn. The UP administration’ s
classification of publication funds as government funds is a unilateral
decision to compromise the Philippine Collegian’s autonomy. Instead of
insisting on an interpretation of the law that runs contrary to the
students’ interest, the UP administration should help in creating an
atmosphere conducive to the practice of campus journalism.

It can start by releasing the printing funds of the Philippine
Collegian and then allowing its editors and staff to freely manage the
publication funds. As a former news editor of this publication in the
1990s, I know that there are more than enough mechanisms for the UP
administration to ensure that the funds will be well-spent by the
students, particularly through a detailed liquidation of expenses
before the release of the funds for the following issue.

Thank you for your attention.

DANILO ARAÑA ARAO
Assistant Professor of Journalism, UP Diliman
Former News Editor, Philippine Collegian (1990-1991)

Danilo A. Arao
Assistant Professor
Department of Journalism, College of Mass Communication Plaridel Hall
University of the Philippines (UP), Diliman, Q.C. 1101
Telephone: (632) 920-6852, 981-8500 loc. 2672
Fax: (632) 920-6852
Email: danilo.arao@ up.edu.ph
Website: http://www.dannyara o.com