Air Force defends UST exhibit after activists escorted out following protest
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will continue holding campus engagements despite a recent heated confrontation with student activists at the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco defended the April 21 exhibit as a legitimate outreach effort, noting that the activity was part of pre-anniversary celebrations and coincided with UST’s 415th anniversary.
The event aimed to showcase military assets and inform the public about the service, she stressed.
“This activity, conducted through official coordination with university authorities, is a part of the PAF’s pre-anniversary activities,” Basco said. The Air Force will celebrate its 79th founding anniversary on July 1.
She described the display as a “standard component” of public information campaigns intended to raise awareness of the PAF’s mandate and service opportunities.
“The PAF will continue to work closely with partner institutions to ensure our public engagements foster mutual understanding and respect for our role in national sovereignty and peace,” Basco added.
The event turned tense when student activists protested the presence of military hardware on campus.
According to The Flame, the official student publication of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, the protesters were eventually escorted out of the venue.
Viral clips of the encounter showed a female student accusing the institution of human rights violations.
“Ang pinakapunto ko po is (My main point is) you are all part of the institution who violate (sic) the human rights of the Filipino people you are trying to protect,” the student told a PAF officer.
In response, the officer dismissed the claim during the exchange: “Idinadaan niyo po sa mga argumentong basesless talaga (You’re really just pushing that through with arguments that are baseless).”
The confrontation occurred amid heightened scrutiny regarding military operations. Just two days prior, the Philippine Army (PA) killed 19 alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Toboso, Negros Occidental.
While the military tagged the casualties as insurgents, human rights groups claimed several were civilians and advocates.
Among those killed were RJ Nichole Ledesma, a regional coordinator for alternative media organization Altermidya, and Alyssa Alano, a councilor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman University Student Council.
The PAF, however, rejected claims that the campus presence was an intrusion or a form of coercion. Basco emphasized that the engagement was arranged through proper institutional channels, describing it as a “non-coercive platform for education.”
“While we regret the verbal confrontation initiated by certain individuals, we remain committed to professional and civil discourse in all academic settings,” Basco added.
