Human rights network breaks ground in CS

Sofia Federico

An alliance of youth groups against human rights violations officially launched its chapter here at the College of Science, September 19 at the CS Auditorium.

The lead convenors of the alliance called “Tanggulan-CS” held a press conference. Present were Tanggulan spokesperson and Math student Aidz Villareal, Agham Youth National Chairperson and Physics student EJ Cabrera, and Matthew Dinglasan of Anakbayan-College of Science (AB-CS), also a Physics student. They discussed human rights violations they claimed were perpetrated by state forces under the Duterte Administration. Extrajudicial killings (EJKs) perpetrated by suspected police, military, and armed vigilante groups have claimed lives of some of the youth like Kian de los Santos and Carl Arnaiz, accused of drug-running and robbing a taxi respectively. The mutilated body of fourteen year-old Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman who was with Arnaiz on the day he was allegedly accosted by police was found in Nueva Ecija, far from his home in Cainta, Rizal. Other killings were allegedly perpetrated against youth suspected to be rebel sympathizers, as in the case of Lumad student Obillo Bay-ao. The network also condemned the ongoing militarization of ancestral lands and the Congress’ approval of only P1,000 to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for its 2018 budget.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Tanggulan-CS lead convenors Cabrera, Villareal, and Dinglasan face the media in a press conference. Sofia Federico

A candle-lighting activity commemorating scientists and engineers who were tortured or martyred during the Marcos regime was held after the press conference. More than two dozen students from an STS class, representatives of the College of Science Student Council (CSSC), and Agham Youth lit their candles and held placards calling for respect for human rights, stopping EJKs, and rejecting Martial Law.

Science and STS students with candles and placards. Paul Yang-ed

Science students holding placards of scientists, science students, and engineers who were tortured and who were martyred during Martial Law. Paul Yang-ed

The press release from Tanggulan-CS stated that these “fascist” attacks against the people led the CSSC, Agham Youth, and AB-CS to form the Tanggulan-CS. The same release said that the network aims to unite science students to defend human rights and civil liberties, and fight the tyranny of the current administration. #

With reports from Paul Christian Yang-ed