Respect the students’ right to press freedom! Statement calling for an end to campus press freedom violations committed against UPHL Gazette.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines – Southern Tagalog chapter expresses strong support to the ongoing campaign of the UPHL Gazette, the official student publication of the University of Perpetual Help – Biñan, Laguna, in their struggle against recent cases of campus press freedom violations committed primarily by their School Director, Dr. Ferdinand Somido.

Under our independent investigation on the matter, we have found the School Director, and otheradministrative officials involved, in violation of the students’ right to campus press freedom, namely: withholding and non-collection of publication fees, meddling with the editorial board selection process, threats of expulsion and suspension of student editors and writers, and threat of outright closure of the publication.

These cases violate provisions stipulated under the Republic Act 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 and goes against the principles expressed in House Bill 4287 or the Campus Press Freedom Bill filed by Kabataan Partylist in the 15th Congress.

Read full article @www.cegp.org

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.