I am but deeply saddened as to how our organizations, Buklod UPCN and Bigkis-UPM, were treated by some members of the Nursing Student Council (NSC). I find it unjust and even demoralizing to be “scrapped” without being notified, without undergoing due process. Their system works.

As the Chairperson of Buklod UPCN and at the same time Vice-Chairperson of Bigkis-UPM, it is one of my tasks to let our primary constituents – the students – know what the organization is and will be doing. We have always invested time and effort to reach the maximum number of netizens for our several information drives. We have utilized Facebook by creating a fan page where we continuously post updates and news regarding the organization’s activities. Moreover, we equally disseminate such info in the different FB groups of alliances, organizations, and Colleges. I have been doing this for more than a year now since the day I sat as President of YEARN. But they reacted only now. Their system works.

While visiting our College’s FB group for updates, I was shocked to see that our posts were deleted without prior notice. If one would recall, the FB group was founded in 2011 with the following group description (must be an updated description):

“This is the official group of UPCN here in Facebook. All announcements, posts, etc. regarding UP Manila College of Nursing will be posted here.
Students, alumni, teachers, staff– everyone who’s part of the UPCN family are welcome.
Also, follow the UP NSC Twitter account! twitter.com/upcn_nsc
Admins: NSC 2013-2014
*Posts that do not have any connection regarding UPCN shall be deleted.”

The group has served its purpose since then allowing organizations to post their own publicity materials. The said FB group is still managed by the NSC 13-14. Their system works.

We made an effort to inquire as to why this happened. The other party said that students and the alumni started complaining about the flooding of the group with “irrelevant” posts and that “relevant” posts are therefore buried. But the issue here is the lack of courtesy and initiative to inform us about their plans of removing our posts from the group. Is it not ironic that the people pushing for “genuine” student representation and consultation failed to do exactly what they are saying? Their system works.

Add to that, the other party explained that our organization is not duly accredited by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA). But technically, all organizations are not “accredited” as of this time. All accreditations expire a year after it was given that is why we have an annual (re)accreditation process conducted by OSA through the different Student Relations Committees of each College. If we are to adopt that definition, then no other organization should be given the right to post their “relevant” announcements in the FB group. And yet we see other “accredited” organizations still posting publicity materials. Their system works.

If we get another definition of “accredited” which means an organization duly recognized a year ago, that’s when we have to say that Buklod UPCN still cannot enjoy the “right” (more of privilege) for freedom of expression. I would readily accept that. But to see that even publicity materials of Bigkis-UPM, a univ-wide organization existing for EIGHT (8) years now, were taken down by the group’s administration is something beyond what’s expected. Is it not even more ironic that people who kept on saying that we are partisan, “colored”, divisive, and biased are doing exactly what they are accusing us? Their system works.

Indeed, their system works. It works only to favor those favorable to them. As a courtesy, it would have been better if the administrators released a set of guidelines for the regulation of posts in the said group BEFORE even doing something I consider illegal and REPRESSIVE. People pushing for genuine student representation and consultation, people accusing us of being partisan, colored, and divisive and biased, I think you are clearly describing yourselves.

Call me whatever you want. It is but an honor that people like you exhaust your precious time and exert much of your effort to criticize, bash, and call me names. Sure. Those actions reflect the kind of person you are. Let the people judge.