UST student paper attacks Ateneo, La Salle on RH stands

(Updated 1:45 p.m.) In a rare and caustic breach of intercollegiate collegiality, the University of Santo Tomas’ student publication, The Varsitarian, attacked in an editorial two other elite Catholic universities, Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle, for their professors’ support of the Reproductive Health bill, and for the tolerance of their administrators towards their faculties’ purported defiance of Catholic doctrine.

“Although they’re religious and members of Catholic orders, the Jesuits and Christian Brothers have failed to uphold orthodoxy and defend the Church,” The Varsitarian thundered. “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.”

192 Ateneo faculty members and 45 De La Salle professors signed separate statements calling for the passage into law of the RH bill.

“They must resign if they have the courage of their conviction,” The Varsitarian said in an editorial posted on Sunday, Oct. 7, which began to go viral on Monday.

Founded in 1611, the UST is the oldest existing university in Asia and has been known to champion conservative Catholic values.

An editor of The Varsitarian asserted to GMA News Online that the editorial does not necessarily reflect the stand of UST. But its editorial coincided with the publication on The Varsitarian’s home page, directly above the editorial, of an article about the directive of UST’s Secretary General, Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P., that “any statements or actions by faculty members [found] offensive to Catholic ideals and teachings may be a cause for dismissal after due process.”

The Varsitarian editorial approved of the threat: “It is quite gratifying that UST has cracked the whip and reminded its faculty members that they’re members of a Catholic institution and should toe the line.”

The Varsitarian said faculty members of UST and other Catholic schools must give up their Catholic academic affiliation if they wish to “invoke their academic freedom to make known their stand in conflict with the bishops regarding the RH bill.”

“Recently, a number of professors from Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University have voiced their support for the RH bill. A close reading of the measure shows it promotes abortifacients,” said The Varsitarian, which upheld the stand of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) condemning the controversial bill.

“It’s quite shocking that Ateneo and La Salle professors should harbor naive and misguided thinking about health and social problems,” said The Varsitarian.

The Ateneo professors’ statement argued the “RH bill can have a decided impact on alleviating pressing social concerns such as high maternal mortality ratio, the rise in teenage pregnancies, and the increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases, among others.”

The DLSU professors’ statement noted quality of life is severely compromised by a rapid increase in population.

“Intellectual pretenders and interlopers”

The Varsitarian, however, argued that pregnancy complications are not in the top 10 causes of women’s deaths in the country. It also noted that the Philippine government has told the United Nations that it was on track to meet the UNESCO Millennium Development Goals by 2015, one of which was the lowering of maternal deaths.

It also said ADMU and DLSU professors should not dismiss the possible side effects of contraceptives such as cardiac arrests, because they are not even physicians.

“UST and her physicians surely know whereof they speak. They’re scientists and experts, unlike the Ateneo and La Salle professors who are intellectual pretenders and interlopers!” the editorial read.

The Varsitarian also called for a reaffirmation of UST’s support for the bishops on matters of faith and morals.

To safeguard the right of the students to a solid Catholic education, “all faculty members of the University are to refrain from teaching or expressing their personal opinions within the bound of the University, anything contrary to Catholic faith and morals,” UST Secretary General Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P. was quoted in the editorial.

Pro-RH

Last August, students and individuals from the different Ateneo universities expressed their support for the RH bill, citing the rising number of maternal deaths as a result of the lack of adequate maternal care in the Philippines, the growing number of unplanned teenage pregnancies, and the right to reproductive health as a fundamental right of all Filipinos.

Following this, forty-five faculty members of DLSU said they “express support for the Reproductive Health Bill in both houses of Congress as a much needed step toward the attainment of a just and democratic society which celebrates life at its fullest range and quality.”

Both statements were issued by the professors in their individual capacities.

“Openly defying bishops”

According to The Varsitarian, “what’s more appalling is that the Jesuit and Christian Brother administrations of Ateneo and La Salle didn’t reprimand their faculty members for openly defying the bishops.”

The Varsitarian became a trending topic on Twitter after it drew many reactions to its editorial, including some critical comments from the UST community. “This is disgusting (and I’M from UST). Differing opinions are OK, but name-calling and put downs decidedly not. And the author should stand by his phrasing and strong wording by not omitting his name,” Saul Marcelo said on Facebook.

A member of The Varsitarian’s staff, meanwhile, defended their move. He said the editorial does not necessarily mirror the stand of the university.

“The Varsitarian, like any news agency, is entitled to its opinion, as shown in its most recent editorial regarding RH bill. It doesn’t necessarily mirror the views of UST per se,” Lorenzo Gayya, The Varsitarian’s special reports editor, told GMA News Online. – with Carmela G. Lapeña/HS/KBK, GMA News