UST hands off on school paper's RH bill editorial

MANILA, Philippines - The University of Santo Tomas (UST) yesterday distanced itself from the controversial editorial of the Varsitarian that criticized the pro-Reproductive Health (RH) bill position of some professors of two prominent Catholic schools – Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and De La Salle University (DLSU).

In a statement, the UST said that while it is against some provisions of the RH bill, it clarified that the recent editorial of the Varsitarian, the official student publication of UST, did not have the school administration’s blessing.

“The UST has been steadfastly consistent in its opposition to certain provisions of the bill which are repugnant to the teachings of our Catholic faith. The University thus supports the Varsitarian, its official student publication, in its stand against the RH bill and for that matter any organization united in this regard with the Catholic Church,” the statement reads.

But it said that “while it is one with the Varsitarian in the issue, the University does not impose its will nor exercise prior restraint on the opinions of the school paper’s writers nor the manner by which they are expressed.”

“Thus, the opinion expressed in the Varsitarian Opinion-Editorial insofar as it supposedly called the pro-RH Bill professors of the Ateneo de Manila University and the De La Salle University as ‘intellectual pretenders and interlopers’ does not bear the University’s imprimatur,” it said.

The UST also clarified that they remain united in Christ with Ateneo and La Salle and other universities that bear the mission to promote Catholic education and “to form students to become living testaments to the teachings of Christ and the principles we hold sacred – competence, commitment, and compassion.”

In the Sept. 30 issue of the Varsitarian, its Editorial Page reminded its readers that the UST is a Catholic and a pontifical institution and that its teachers must respect the stand of the school against the RH bill.

“If UST professors don’t agree with the stand of the CBCP (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines), then they have a problem… If faculty members of UST and other Catholic schools feel they need to invoke their academic freedom to make their stand in conflict with the bishops regarding the RH bill, then they’re free to do so. But they must resign from UST,” the editorial reportedly said.

As for Ateneo and La Salle, some of whose professors have expressed support for the RH bill, the Varsitarian said it was appalled that the Jesuit and Christian brothers’ administrations did not reprimand their faculty members for openly defying the bishops.

It chided Ateneo and La Salle for treating their professors with “kid gloves.”

“Although they’re religious and members of Catholic orders, the Jesuits and Christian brothers have failed to uphold orthodoxy and defend the Church. As far as the RH bill and support for it among their faculty are concerned, they’re lemons. And as far as the Pro-RH Ateneo and La Salle professors are concerned, they’re dishonest and don’t have the courage of their intellectual conviction.” 

Bam is for RH

Meanwhile, administration senatorial candidate and presidential cousin Paulo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV expressed his support for the controversial RH after the new political group Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines (CDPP) endorsed his senatorial bid.

Aquino said he is supporting the measure because it jibes with his platform of government, which contains his “pro-poor” advocacies.

“Secondly, I think we should be able to choose based on our own conscience and belief. And if you are a Catholic, even if a bill is passed, I don’t think that your ability to practice your Catholicism or beliefs will be hampered. In a pluralistic society, I think each person must be able to decide on their own, based on their own conscience and belief,” he said.

As for the word war between anti-RH UST and pro-RH Ateneo and La Salle, Aquino said, “I think the exchange is a positive think. As somebody who came from Ateneo, I would hope that there would be less name-calling, but of course, we are free to state our own opinions and at the minimum, this has sparked discussion on the topic.”

CDPP is less than a month old, having registered itself with the Commission on Elections only last Sept. 12. Though it adopted three administration senatorial candidates, only Aquino showed up in its meeting yesterday. – With Jess Diaz