TACLOBAN CITY – The first protest action held in downtown Tacloban in years was met with violent dispersal from the Tacloban City Police Office on August 16, 2024. The demonstration was organized by the delegates of the 57th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) held at University of the Philippines (UP) Tacloban College. The delegates were composed of student councils and covered by student publications from UP campuses across the country.

The GASC is held bi-annually and serves as a platform for crafting student-led campaigns for the whole of the UP System. UP Tacloban was the designated venue for the GASC this year.

Lighting rallies are a staple in every GASC, taking no longer than 30 minutes. As with any demonstration, the Tacloban rally was a way for protesters to express their sentiment and demands on social issues affecting them and the public. The students in this instance pressed calls to end militarization of UP, dismiss the charges against the ‘Tacloban 5,’ increase wages and lower prices of basic goods, among others.

However, what was supposed to be a peaceful assembly in the area of downtown Tacloban dubbed as ‘McDiola’ turned rough when state forces entered the scene. An official from the Tacloban Traffic Operations, Management, Enforcement, and Control Office (TOMECO) approached the protesters and ordered them to transfer to the RTR Plaza, a freedom park in the city some 850 meters away from the busy downtown area. Initially, the students negotiated to finish their short program at McDiola, but chaos ensued when police started to disperse their assembly.

Violent dispersal

The student protesters ran along Justice Romualdez St. towards the RTR Plaza as police began grabbing banners and placards from the protesters. Alarmed, a few protesters fell down during the sprint, some of them sustaining injuries. At Price Mansion (formerly the Tingog Partylist office in the city), the police were ordered to block the delegation from reaching RTR Plaza and corral them in place. The order reportedly came from the city director of the Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO), P/Col. Michael Palermo.

Asserting their rights, the students pushed through the barricade. In the middle of the commotion, the TCPO director ordered to arrest of one of the delegates from UP Mindanao. Members of the SWAT, uniformed police, and plain-clothes cops gathered around the delegate, shoved him face down to the ground, handcuffed, and carried him to an awaiting police mobile. In the scuffle, UP student regent Iya Trinidad and a few student council members tried to stop the arrest. At this point, P/Col. Palermo shouted threats to arrest all the protesters. The UP Mindanao delegate was not immediately taken to the jail as paralegal representatives stepped in to explain his rights. In the chaos, one delegate from UP Diliman fainted and had to be pulled out from the crowd by emergency responders.

UP Los Baños student leader and UP Student Regent second nominee Carla Padilla had this to say about how the police handled the protest:

“At that point, mainit na yung sitwasyon hanggang sa ipitin, nagsigawan na. Ni-red-tag na ni Palermo, specifically, ako at ‘yung mga estudyante—sinabi niya na NPA kami. Tinanong-tanong niya sino raw ba ‘yung nag-uutos na pinapakita na [para bang] wala kaming pagpapasya. Hindi naman ‘yun totoo kasi pagpapasya ‘yun ng mga estudyante [na magprotesta]. Ang hawak lang naman namin ay balatengga, placards, at megaphone na ang panawagan ay libre at dekalidad na edukasyon, labanan yung state attacks, at higit sa lahat, yung pagpapalaya sa Tacloban 5. Pero ganun ‘yung nangyari: nagkainitan, nagkasakitan, hinablot ‘yung isang kasama from Mindanao, pinosasan. Kahit ako sinigawan din at inutusan ni Palermo na posasan. At that point, kinailangan ko na ring ibigay ‘yung mga gamit dun sa kasamang paralegal just in case na kunin ako. 

Makikita doon sa social media ng PNP Tacloban, sasabihin nila na walang karahasan. Pero kasi andaming witness na bystanders na nakita ‘yung nangyari. Lahat sila naka-phone. May mga media na nag-post, naka-video. Kahit ano kasing sabihin, wala talagang justifiable reason; kahit magbato man sila ng kung anumang batas or kung ‘yung walang-sawang BP 880 na naman na yan, walang justification. Kasi ang totoo, violently dispersed [ang protesta]. ‘Yun talaga ang nangyari.”

(At that point, the situation was heated until we were pressed back, people started to yell. Palermo, specifically, started red-tagging me and the students—he said we were NPA. He asked who were ordering us students as if to show that we could not decide for ourselves. The truth is we decided [to hold the rally]. We were only holding banners, placards, and a megaphone which bore the calls to free and quality education, fighting against state attacks, and most of all, the release of the Tacloban 5. But that’s what happened: things got heated, people got hurt, one delegate from Mindanao was nabbed and handcuffed. Even I was yelled at and ordered by Palermo to be arrested. At that point, I needed to give my things to one of the paralegals who were with us just in case I was taken.

It can be seen in the PNP Tacloban social media, they said there was no violence. But there were many witnesses who were bystanders who saw what happened. They all had phones with them. There were media that posted what was happening, on video. Whatever they say, there is no justifiable reason; even if they throw whatever law at us or that never-ending BP 880 again, there’s no justification. Because the truth is, the protest was violently dispersed. That’s what really happened.)

The whole delegation was held up in the area for nearly two hours. According to the delegates, the tension seemed to mellow when Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel entered the scene. Rep. Manuel, a former UP student regent himself, was invited as a speaker for the GASC earlier that day. The lawmaker approached P/Col. Palermo and negotiated for the release of the students back to UP Tacloban where the session was supposed to resume after the protest action.

An official from the UP Tacloban Office of Student Affairs (OSA) was also present in asserting the return of the delegates back to the campus. Delegates noted that the visibly-agitated Palermo appeared to be more diplomatic in the talks with Rep. Manuel. The former wanted a list of names of every single student who participated in the rally. The purpose of this was unclear, and Rep. Manuel explained that if the police wanted, they could start an inquest. He stressed, however, that collecting names and other personal details of protesters is a form of profiling and could potentially be used for red-tagging purposes. Rep. Manuel and the OSA official were invited by Palermo to the nearby police station to resume negotiations.

Shaken, bruised but resolute

At around 7:20 PM, the order came to release the students from being held up. No list of names was provided to the police. Heading straight to the UP Tacloban campus, the delegates were finally able to rest, eat, and debrief.

“Naging mabigat ang nangyari para sa mga delegado. Marami ang natakot at kinabahan. Pero karamihan ay may sense of reassurance pa rin dahil sa tiwala sa kolektibo at sa pag-agapay na rin ng mga kasama na wala sa Tacloban. Ramdam ito sa pagpapatuloy ng GASC sa susunod na araw, kung saan mas determinado ang mga estudyante na makapagpasa ng resolusyon para depensahan ang ating karapatan,” shares Francesca ‘Cheska’ Duran, the newly-appointed 41st UP student regent. She further reiterates that the rally held by the UP students is justified and will not be the last action held as long as crises continue to worsen. 

(What happened was heavy for the delegates. Many were scared and anxious. But most had a sense of reassurance because of the trust in the collective and the aid of the people that weren’t in Tacloban. This was felt as the GASC continued the next day when the students were much more determined to pass resolutions for the protection of rights)

“Sa kapulisan ng Tacloban, wala pong mali sa ginagawa namin. Kami po ay mga kabataan na mapayapang nirerehistro ang aming mga panawagan para sa edukasyon at karapatan para sa lahat. Placard at mga boses lang po ang tanging bitbit namin. At hindi po kami titigil hangga’t hindi matugunan ang panawagan namin. Marahas mang na-disperse ang mobilisasyon sa McDiola, anumang intidimidasyon at pandarahas sa amin, patuloy na dadagundong ang mga kalsada ng Tacloban ng sigaw ng kabataan at mamamayan.”

(To the police of Tacloban, there was nothing wrong with what we did. We are students that peacefully registered our calls for education and rights for all. Placards and our calls were the only things we carried. And we won’t stop until our calls are heeded. Though the mobilization at McDiola was violently dispersed, whatever intimidation and violence against us, the streets of Tacloban will continue will rumble with the calls of the youth and the people.)

The morning after, the GASC session continued.

Some of the delegates looked tired, perhaps due to the agitation from the day before. Some delegates noted a different energy in the room, describing it as a seeming massive wave swelling. This was seen in swift passage of an impromptu proposal to “bolster and sustain” the support for the Tacloban 5 case and expose social ills in Region 8. It was passed rather swiftly, perhaps spurred by the privilege speech given to Kyle Domiquel, Marielle’s sibling, on how the family has dealt with their loved ones being unjustly detained.

The return of a protest action in McDiola could be considered significant. It was the first time progressive groups launched a rally in the area since December 10, 2019, in commemoration of the International Day of Human Rights. Experiencing firsthand violence from state forces, the student leaders gathered at the GASC appeared more galvanized in pushing their campaigns in and out of their respective campuses. Timely, considering the persistence of red-tagging and the recently-signed partnership between the UP administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.    

“Isa na rin talaga sa na-establish na pangunahing kampanya na isusulong ng OSR at KASAMA sa UP ay ang laban kontra pasismo, ugnay na rin sa red-tagging hearing ni Bato Dela Rosa at sa UP-AFP Declaration of Cooperation. Mas napaigting ito pagkatapos ng marahas na dispersal, kung saan naging prayoridad ng mga konseho ay makapagpasa ng mga resolusyon patungkol sa pagdepensa ng karapatang pantao at ng ating pamantasan.

Moving forward, sisiguraduhin natin na mabibigyan ng kapasidad ang lahat ng mga institusyong pang mag-aaral na harapin ang mga ganitong atake ng estado, sa pamamagitan ng mga paralegal training, at sa iba pang paraan. Ang mga resolusyon na ipinasa sa GASC ay magiging gabay rin para sa pag-outline ng campaign framework patungkol sa pangkabuuang laban kontra sa pasismo ng estado,” Duran promised.

(One of the established primary campaigns that the OSR and KASAMA sa UP pushes is the fight against fascism, in relation to the red-tagging hearing of Bato Dela Rosa and the UP-AFP Declaration of Cooperation. This was fortified following the violent dispersal where the councils prioritized resolutions on defense of human rights and the university.

Moving forward, we will ensure that all student institutions will be capacitated to face these attacks from the state through paralegal trainings and other means. The resolutions approved in the GASC will also be a guide for outlining the campaign framework on the overall fight against state fascism.)