On December 26-29, 1975, at Teachers’ Camp in Baguio City (BTC), the first nation-wide gathering of college students under Philippine martial law was held. The University of the Philippines sent a ten-person delegation.
However, it was not sponsored by anti-Marcos groups. The event was sponsored by the Department of Education and Culture (DEC). Although it was a government sponsored activity, it was better than nothing. For us in the UP delegation, our messianic obsession was to organize the politically dormant Philippine student sector.
The DEC announced it in a circular as early as April 7, 1975. The meeting was officially called “The First National Congress of College Students in the Philippines.” It was innocuously themed “Nation Building Through Youth Civic Action Programs.”
This was a historic occasion because prior to this meeting martial law had greatly curtailed student activities in the Philippines. I remember President Marcos had ordered his police to consider any gathering of more than three students as subversive!
At any rate, the congress was a statement from Marcos. He was saying his regime was secure enough to sponsor a congress of the student sector, his erstwhile nemesis. He also wanted to tell the world, especially the United States, that things were normalizing in the Philippines.
The DEC letter of invitation was coursed through President Onofre D. Corpuz who channeled it through Dean Armando Malay of the UP Office of Student Affairs (OSA). Dean Malay then gave it to the UP Student Conference, chaired by Diwa C. Guinigundo. I remember Diwa inviting me to a meeting at 2nd floor Vinzons Hall where the composition of the UP delegation was decided by consensus. UP was to shoulder the travel expenses.
The UP delegation:
1. Diwa C. Guinigundo
2. Fides M. Lim
3. Alexander Magno
4. Raul Pangalangan
5. Roberto E. Reyes
6. Marvie Maramag
7. Susan Fernandez
8. Bey Fernando
9.Maria Serena I. Diokno
10. Vic-vic Adea
Widespread student unrest was one of the reasons for the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. For the Marcos government to risk staging this big student meeting spoke volumes about its confidence. From the point of view of DEC, this was a way to coopt the student sector into the "New Society." For pro-democracy student leaders like us, it was a big step forward.
No matter how "reactionary" the agenda was, the congress signified that Filipino student leaders were at last being given breathing space. The congress was a big departure from the early martial law days. In that bleak period, student activists were arrested, student councils and organizations banned, and student publications muzzled.
For the UP delegation, it mattered little if the congress was sponsored by Marcos’ education department, or if its theme served Marcos’ New Society, or if its officials apologized for martial law excesses. What mattered was the chance for establishing contacts, forming alliances, and doing even a modicum of anti-Marcos advertising. The UP student leaders would not let this opportunity pass.
At the time of the congress, there were three bodies that were spearheading the anti-martial law effort in the University of the Philippines. These were: The UP Student Conference, the Philippine Collegian, and the Student Committee for Student Rights and Welfare (SCSRW).
The UP Student Conference was an officially sanctioned body representing various UP student organizations. It was only a consultative body, albeit an elected one. Because of its consultative status, it was a poor replacement for the UP Student Council. The latter would not be restored until far-off 1980.
The Philippine Collegian was the official UP student publication, and its editor-in-chief was Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento. Unfortunately, Ditto was not included in the delegation. Representing the Collegian instead was Fides M. Lim, its managing editor and workhorse.
Ditto Sarmiento's term as Collegian editor was one of the celebrated paper's finest moments. The Collegian had just participated in a successful protest movement against a memo-circular by President Corpuz, which was implemented by Executive Vice-president Emanuel V. Soriano. The infamous order prohibited any public discussion of Presidential Decree (PD) 823, which banned workers' strikes. The intense and widely supported campaign forced Corpuz to rescind his order.
Ditto Sarmiento's Collegian was at its fiercest when it put out a special issue which had the UP Oblation occupying almost the entire front page. Under the Oblation was printed, in bold, red letters, --- "Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?" (If not now, when?) Its Christmas 1975 issue featured on the front-page a a motley list of political issues and demands shaped like a Christmas tree!
The SCSRW was an unofficial alliance of about seventy UP student organizations. It was activated by consensus, and on an issue-to-issue basis. Along with the Student Conference and the Collegian, SCSRW also participated in the anti-PD 823 campaign, having provided the required warm bodies.
I remember waking up at 3 am in our home in Bulacan, Bulacan so I could reach by bus the Tutuban Philippine National Railways (PNR) station in Divisoria at 5 am. That was the meeting place for the entire delegation, where we would board the green PNR bus bound for Baguio. The bus left Tutuban at 8 am. We shared it with non-UP delegates and immediately made friends.
The last time I was in Baguio was in 1968, so I was very excited to see the City of Pines again. The trip lasted more than four hours. The bus negotiated treacherous Kennon Road with ease. Kennon was much greener and more picturesque then. In those days as well, Baguio felt cooler than now. And, one could actually smell the inspiring scent of pine as the bus approached the city outskirts.
When we arrived at BTC, we were guided to our assigned dorm room which delightfully smelled of old wood and fresh linen. It had double-deck beds covered with dark brown woolen blankets, the kind not used in the lowlands. Settled and refreshed, we were ushered to the spacious dining hall where we had a sumptuous late lunch with the delegates. It was my first time to this hallowed Baguio camp. The opening session was still in the early evening, so we all decided it was Session Road to gallivant. Most of us were in our early twenties, with one or two being teenagers.
In late afternoon the next day, the men, inspired by the cool Baguio weather, decided to partake of a large bottle of Ginebra San Miguel in their dorm. This was against house rules, but that was far from their minds. Each wanted to impress the others of his drinking adeptness ---- the bottle was emptied straightaway. They reported to the dinner table noisy, inebriated, and stinking of the stuff. The ladies were resentful and would not talk to them. They apologized the next morning.
The Secretary of Education then was President Marcos’ uncle, Juan Manuel, who gave a boring speech, rambling most of the way. The chairman of the congress was Undersecretary of Education Narciso Albarracin whose forgettable welcome address also meandered. Other officials included youthful and promising technocrats Mindanao Razon, Manuel Cobarrubias, Jose Suva, and George “Butch” Albarracin.
The congress was well attended. There must have been about 300+ delegates. I remember very well the opening plenary session. Each delegation proudly stood from their seats as the name of their school was announced. The different tertiary sectors were there ----- private schools, vocational schools, and state colleges and universities.
I especially made friends with the De La Salle University (DLSU) delegation. One of its female members treated me to a dinner of steak and mashed potatoes in a Session Road bistro called Mario's. Among other things, we talked about student activities in DLSU, and how UP could help.
The UP delegation made sure that UP was represented in all the workshop committees, so it could reach out to the universities represented. The recurring theme in all the workshops was "nation-building" which was a well-known Marcos catchphrase in those days.
The congress secretariat created workshop committees based on the the following topics:
1. Nation-building through political action;
2. Nation-building through social action;
3. Nation-building through economic action; and
4. Nation-building through education action
Another objective was to inject as much anti-martial law content into the workshop committee reports and the congress declaration. These were to be read in the plenary session and published in the Marcos media, so it was an excellent propaganda opportunity.
The UP delegation succeeded in this only moderately. The other delegates, except for a few like those from DLSU and St. Scholastica’s College, were still too cowed by martial law to agree to have their views publicly known. They agreed to much of what the workshops daringly discussed about Marcos and martial law. However, they balked when we suggested that all of it be put in writing.
Finally, to satiate our anti-martial law urges, we decided to write a no-holds-barred "position paper" about student rights and welfare, the restoration of student councils in all colleges and universities, and the evils of martial law. After the group discussed the nuances thoroughly, I remember Diwa Guinigundo assigning Fides M. Lim to pen the essay.
Somehow, we got hold of a typewriter, some mimeo stencils, and a mimeograph machine. We mimeoed the statement surreptitiously, and even made a plan for its sly distribution. Most of the copies were distributed secretly in the dormitories. When the delegates came to the plenary session, many were carrying copies of the statement.
The congress ended its Baguio segment with the organizers vowing to forward the resolutions to President Marcos. I doubt very much if that happened. They were probably shelved.
The trip back to Manila was uneventful. We were all tired and eager to go home. The UP delegation separated ways in Tutuban, looking forward to the coming New Year's Eve celebration. There was to be another congress session on December 30, 1975 at the National Library Auditorium along T.M. Kalaw St. in Manila. Its agenda escaped us. We did not attend it anymore.
Little did we know that when classes were to resume that coming January 1976, Marcos would order the arrest en masse of UP student leaders. But that’s another story.
However, it was not sponsored by anti-Marcos groups. The event was sponsored by the Department of Education and Culture (DEC). Although it was a government sponsored activity, it was better than nothing. For us in the UP delegation, our messianic obsession was to organize the politically dormant Philippine student sector.
The DEC announced it in a circular as early as April 7, 1975. The meeting was officially called “The First National Congress of College Students in the Philippines.” It was innocuously themed “Nation Building Through Youth Civic Action Programs.”
This was a historic occasion because prior to this meeting martial law had greatly curtailed student activities in the Philippines. I remember President Marcos had ordered his police to consider any gathering of more than three students as subversive!
At any rate, the congress was a statement from Marcos. He was saying his regime was secure enough to sponsor a congress of the student sector, his erstwhile nemesis. He also wanted to tell the world, especially the United States, that things were normalizing in the Philippines.
The DEC letter of invitation was coursed through President Onofre D. Corpuz who channeled it through Dean Armando Malay of the UP Office of Student Affairs (OSA). Dean Malay then gave it to the UP Student Conference, chaired by Diwa C. Guinigundo. I remember Diwa inviting me to a meeting at 2nd floor Vinzons Hall where the composition of the UP delegation was decided by consensus. UP was to shoulder the travel expenses.
The UP delegation:
1. Diwa C. Guinigundo
2. Fides M. Lim
3. Alexander Magno
4. Raul Pangalangan
5. Roberto E. Reyes
6. Marvie Maramag
7. Susan Fernandez
8. Bey Fernando
9.Maria Serena I. Diokno
10. Vic-vic Adea
Widespread student unrest was one of the reasons for the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. For the Marcos government to risk staging this big student meeting spoke volumes about its confidence. From the point of view of DEC, this was a way to coopt the student sector into the "New Society." For pro-democracy student leaders like us, it was a big step forward.
No matter how "reactionary" the agenda was, the congress signified that Filipino student leaders were at last being given breathing space. The congress was a big departure from the early martial law days. In that bleak period, student activists were arrested, student councils and organizations banned, and student publications muzzled.
For the UP delegation, it mattered little if the congress was sponsored by Marcos’ education department, or if its theme served Marcos’ New Society, or if its officials apologized for martial law excesses. What mattered was the chance for establishing contacts, forming alliances, and doing even a modicum of anti-Marcos advertising. The UP student leaders would not let this opportunity pass.
At the time of the congress, there were three bodies that were spearheading the anti-martial law effort in the University of the Philippines. These were: The UP Student Conference, the Philippine Collegian, and the Student Committee for Student Rights and Welfare (SCSRW).
The UP Student Conference was an officially sanctioned body representing various UP student organizations. It was only a consultative body, albeit an elected one. Because of its consultative status, it was a poor replacement for the UP Student Council. The latter would not be restored until far-off 1980.
The Philippine Collegian was the official UP student publication, and its editor-in-chief was Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento. Unfortunately, Ditto was not included in the delegation. Representing the Collegian instead was Fides M. Lim, its managing editor and workhorse.
Ditto Sarmiento's term as Collegian editor was one of the celebrated paper's finest moments. The Collegian had just participated in a successful protest movement against a memo-circular by President Corpuz, which was implemented by Executive Vice-president Emanuel V. Soriano. The infamous order prohibited any public discussion of Presidential Decree (PD) 823, which banned workers' strikes. The intense and widely supported campaign forced Corpuz to rescind his order.
Ditto Sarmiento's Collegian was at its fiercest when it put out a special issue which had the UP Oblation occupying almost the entire front page. Under the Oblation was printed, in bold, red letters, --- "Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?" (If not now, when?) Its Christmas 1975 issue featured on the front-page a a motley list of political issues and demands shaped like a Christmas tree!
The SCSRW was an unofficial alliance of about seventy UP student organizations. It was activated by consensus, and on an issue-to-issue basis. Along with the Student Conference and the Collegian, SCSRW also participated in the anti-PD 823 campaign, having provided the required warm bodies.
I remember waking up at 3 am in our home in Bulacan, Bulacan so I could reach by bus the Tutuban Philippine National Railways (PNR) station in Divisoria at 5 am. That was the meeting place for the entire delegation, where we would board the green PNR bus bound for Baguio. The bus left Tutuban at 8 am. We shared it with non-UP delegates and immediately made friends.
The last time I was in Baguio was in 1968, so I was very excited to see the City of Pines again. The trip lasted more than four hours. The bus negotiated treacherous Kennon Road with ease. Kennon was much greener and more picturesque then. In those days as well, Baguio felt cooler than now. And, one could actually smell the inspiring scent of pine as the bus approached the city outskirts.
When we arrived at BTC, we were guided to our assigned dorm room which delightfully smelled of old wood and fresh linen. It had double-deck beds covered with dark brown woolen blankets, the kind not used in the lowlands. Settled and refreshed, we were ushered to the spacious dining hall where we had a sumptuous late lunch with the delegates. It was my first time to this hallowed Baguio camp. The opening session was still in the early evening, so we all decided it was Session Road to gallivant. Most of us were in our early twenties, with one or two being teenagers.
In late afternoon the next day, the men, inspired by the cool Baguio weather, decided to partake of a large bottle of Ginebra San Miguel in their dorm. This was against house rules, but that was far from their minds. Each wanted to impress the others of his drinking adeptness ---- the bottle was emptied straightaway. They reported to the dinner table noisy, inebriated, and stinking of the stuff. The ladies were resentful and would not talk to them. They apologized the next morning.
The Secretary of Education then was President Marcos’ uncle, Juan Manuel, who gave a boring speech, rambling most of the way. The chairman of the congress was Undersecretary of Education Narciso Albarracin whose forgettable welcome address also meandered. Other officials included youthful and promising technocrats Mindanao Razon, Manuel Cobarrubias, Jose Suva, and George “Butch” Albarracin.
The congress was well attended. There must have been about 300+ delegates. I remember very well the opening plenary session. Each delegation proudly stood from their seats as the name of their school was announced. The different tertiary sectors were there ----- private schools, vocational schools, and state colleges and universities.
I especially made friends with the De La Salle University (DLSU) delegation. One of its female members treated me to a dinner of steak and mashed potatoes in a Session Road bistro called Mario's. Among other things, we talked about student activities in DLSU, and how UP could help.
The UP delegation made sure that UP was represented in all the workshop committees, so it could reach out to the universities represented. The recurring theme in all the workshops was "nation-building" which was a well-known Marcos catchphrase in those days.
The congress secretariat created workshop committees based on the the following topics:
1. Nation-building through political action;
2. Nation-building through social action;
3. Nation-building through economic action; and
4. Nation-building through education action
Another objective was to inject as much anti-martial law content into the workshop committee reports and the congress declaration. These were to be read in the plenary session and published in the Marcos media, so it was an excellent propaganda opportunity.
The UP delegation succeeded in this only moderately. The other delegates, except for a few like those from DLSU and St. Scholastica’s College, were still too cowed by martial law to agree to have their views publicly known. They agreed to much of what the workshops daringly discussed about Marcos and martial law. However, they balked when we suggested that all of it be put in writing.
Finally, to satiate our anti-martial law urges, we decided to write a no-holds-barred "position paper" about student rights and welfare, the restoration of student councils in all colleges and universities, and the evils of martial law. After the group discussed the nuances thoroughly, I remember Diwa Guinigundo assigning Fides M. Lim to pen the essay.
Somehow, we got hold of a typewriter, some mimeo stencils, and a mimeograph machine. We mimeoed the statement surreptitiously, and even made a plan for its sly distribution. Most of the copies were distributed secretly in the dormitories. When the delegates came to the plenary session, many were carrying copies of the statement.
The congress ended its Baguio segment with the organizers vowing to forward the resolutions to President Marcos. I doubt very much if that happened. They were probably shelved.
The trip back to Manila was uneventful. We were all tired and eager to go home. The UP delegation separated ways in Tutuban, looking forward to the coming New Year's Eve celebration. There was to be another congress session on December 30, 1975 at the National Library Auditorium along T.M. Kalaw St. in Manila. Its agenda escaped us. We did not attend it anymore.
Little did we know that when classes were to resume that coming January 1976, Marcos would order the arrest en masse of UP student leaders. But that’s another story.
