Modern era: President San Andres, BulSUans' good fight for change

Paul Bamba, Hope Ruiz, & Kristian Sandig

December 16, 2023

"The government that governs from afar absolutely requires that the truth and the facts reach its knowledge by every possible channel."—Jose Rizal

This month marked the first 100 days of Dr. Teody C. San Andres in the presidential office as he held a solemn investiture on December 11 at Bulacan State University (BulSU).

San Andres reported in detail his accomplishments and future plans notwithstanding his history as a subject of debate among student alliances before he was even elected as the 4th University President by the BulSU's Board of Regents (BOR) last August 25.

The Presidential Hot Seat

Pres. San Andres during his inaugural ceremony

Once serving as the Executive Vice President of the University under incumbent President Cecilia N. Gascon, Dr. San Andres now occupies the seat of someone who is responsible for more than 47,000 students and carries the weight of accountability for the administration’s decisions and actions.

He faced intense scrutiny and criticism from various parties–one of those is STAND BulSU, defining itself as ‘the only national democratic alliance of students in Bulacan State University’

"We will NEVER recognize Teody San Andres as our President. We will surely welcome him with more militancy, more disapproval, more critics, and more protest," as stated on STAND BulSU’s Facebook post.

The student alliance vehemently opposed Dr. San Andres on the grounds that his presidency is no different than that from Gascon’s leadership, comparing the two to the subsequent terms of Duterte and Marcos. To them, Dr. Teody San Andres taking over the post is nothing short of a betrayal from the BulSU BOR and the representatives of the government.

"For the past months, no duty has been fulfilled yet, especially those integral duties to address urgent concerns of the stakeholders. We also witnessed firsthand how his administration turned its back on our then-abducted and missing alumni, Jhed and Jonila." said STAND BulSU's Secretary General Shelle Tamual in an online interview

Tamual suggested that President Teody failed to fulfill his obligations and described how the university is not a safe space for various gender and political expressions as shown by how the academic institution still has not responded on the issue of BulSU and STAND BulSU alumnus Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano who has since been missing since September 2 and was allegedly abducted by the military.

The secretary general expects the continuation of programs intending to whitewash the ‘worsening learning and teaching conditions’ in the university and that ‘attacks on democratic rights will worsen’. However, they did note that Pres. Teody likely reached out to students in an effort to improve his performance through the Student Government, yet the issues at hand still go unresolved or unaddressed as they claimed.

In a public forum held on August 7, the Bulacan State University's presidential candidate, Dr. Teody San Andres, engaged with various sectors to discuss his plans and vision within the university community.

On the Sector of Faculty, Dr. Eduardo Valcos, the FAU Assistant Secretary asked about employee’s trust towards the university's leadership and what he as university president will do should a lack of trust happen. 

According to Dr. San Andres, open communication, empowerment, and recognition is important to address this issue. 

"We will use the policy, guidelines, and whatever the guidelines of the university for one common goal, at the same time we need to have a proper addressing of the problem right immediately."

He proposed regular meetings with faculty members and a commitment to his Theme 1: "Malasakit" wherein care and compassion are crucial components of a good leadership.

The Bridge Between

In this academic era where the 'iskolars ng bayan' are confronted with the present circumstance and future crisis; A need arises to bridge the gap of connection between BulSUans and the university's administration if their ‘malasakit’ is found lacking. That link is chosen as the representative of the student body. 

BulSU Presidentiables' Public Forum Invitation (Photo from Arianna De Jesus)

A forum event was held on August 24 to prepare for the upcoming election as a platform to raise sectoral issues prevalent in main and external campuses. 

Dr. Teody San Andres, the only candidate who personally attended the event, left immediately after presenting his plans and visions for the university towards representatives from student minorities and publications, leaving the students disappointed.

"Tsansa na sana ng mga estudyante na tanungin yung mga kandidato para sa kanilang mga concerns, sa kanilang mga tindig, sa kasalukuyan nating kinahaharap na mga problema sa BulSU. Pero, kinailangan pa natin itong ipa-abot sa ating student representative," said D1 Policarpio from BulSUOne.

BulSUONE (B1) and Katipunan Student Movement (KASAMA) BulSU are parties both running for Supreme Student Government (SSG) and the two officially endorsed Dr. Marwin M. dela Cruz, a former BulSU professor, as the next president. 

The current President of the SSG Arianna de Jesus confirmed her preference towards the presidential candidate as well, "Actually, I didn't vote for President Teody as of course, the students preferred Dr. Marwin, and of course, personally, I also preferred Dr. Marwin more than President Teody."

Even though commitments and schedules had shown to obstruct the communication between BulSUans and university administrators, Senator Thea from the SSG confirmed that the newly-elected Pres. Teody previously held meetings with the student government and with the main student publication Pacesetter as well. 

"In actuality, nagkaroon agad ng meeting with the Student Government si (Pres.) Teody, nagkaroon din ng meeting with Pacesetter. Pero, such a meeting is not enough to say na reaching out iyon. Yung reaching out, di naman iyon ibinabase lang sa nagtatanong tayo, mag oopen ng platform."

Senator Thea asserted that reaching out is campaigning and until now, she hadn't seen any concrete actions to answer the problems of those sectors that he 'reached out' for. 

She also described his expression on one instance where he seemed to not know how to handle what the student council brought up and felt like it's their own fault why they came to him to discuss the problems and future of BulSUans.

"We had this emergency meeting with him, ang linyahan nya pa "Bakit biglang may ganitong meeting?" "Bakit biglang nagpameet kayo ng hindi man lang kayo handa?"", said Sen. Thea in an online interview.

She also claimed that as part of his eight years of service under Gascon, he became one of the instruments in silencing progressive individuals. She thinks that the welfare of the students will not improve under his term.

The First 100 Days

The inaugural 100 days of Dr. Teody San Andres' term since August 25 was heralded by both applause and discontent at Bulacan State University.

As his words echoed with the promise of development and transformation, the campus was swept by a series of issues and controversies among their stakeholders.

RUSHED POLICYMAKING

Laws can sometimes be hastily enacted without thorough consideration or proper evaluation of their potential consequences.

When NAPA President Melinda Navarro raised questions during a public forum on August 7 about promoting the well-being of non-teaching personnel and preventing their demoralization, Dr. San Andres planned to establish a good relationship through a manual of operation, adherence to school policies, and regular communication.

He stressed the importance of recognizing and providing ample time and resources ensuring a harmonious relationship within the community. Dr. San Andres reiterated the commitment of the president's office and colleagues to maintaining open communication and addressing issues promptly with established guidelines and policies.

However, when the university administration recently implemented a "university-wide plastic ban" without prior notice, it caused challenges and confusion among students and vendors alike. 

The abrupt policy change, which only allowed a 10-day grace period for compliance, has left university stakeholders grappling with the unexpected difficulties that come with the memorandum.

Various stalls tried to comply with the order as the ban went into effect even before the specified cut-off date. However, the sudden transition to eco-friendly alternatives proved to be a daunting task.

The immediate discontinuation of plastic utensils left stalls with unused stocks purchased before the announcement. Some vendors were hesitant to comply with the order due to the comparatively higher cost of paper or wood utensils in comparison to plastic.

A NEED FOR SAFE SPACE

Students need a healthy environment where they feel secure, supported, and free from judgment.

However, the numerous incidents of gender discrimination, hate speech, and queerphobia in Bulacan State University showed the need for a safe space inside the campus grounds.

The first incident happened on September 11 at the Admin Building in Flores Hall, involving a trans woman visitor being publicly misgendered as "Sir" by a security guard. This incident marked the beginning of a series of challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals within the university.

Subsequently, on September 27, organizations dedicated to addressing these issues such as BAHAGHARI received another report of discrimination. This incident involved a trans woman student from the College of Arts and Letters (CAL), who was denied access to a restroom designated for women in the College of Fine Arts (CAFA) wherein one of the staff questioned her presence.

The troubling pattern continued on September 29, when another trans woman faced public misgendering, being referred to as "Sir" by a security guard at Gate 1 in a mocking tone. 

Adding to the list of grievances, a third-year Bachelor of Science in Food Technology student shared a distressing experience on social media. In a now-deleted Facebook post, she revealed that a teacher persistently misgendered her, disregarding her gender identity and made inappropriate references to genitalia.

JONILA AND JHED’S DISAPPEARANCE

Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano in an interview with various media (Photo from Surface Jonila and Jhed Network)

Jonila and Jhed were both BulSU and STAND BulSU's alumni. They disappeared last September 2 while on a relief operation in Orion, Bataan. 

According to President San Andres, he will personally give his help to those who are in need. BulSU student, out of school youth, and even BulSU alumni. But the administration's actions were questioned once again by the progressive students.

"The President seemed to ignore and avoid the case of Jonila and Jhed,"

Any alumni that was red-tagged in other universities were declared as "persona non grata", but last month following their release from military custody, Jonila and Jhed successfully returned to the university grounds.

The questions to who allowed their entry to BulSU remain unanswered.

HARASSMENT TOWARDS STUDENT ACTIVISTS

As soon as Jonila and Jhed disappeared, their colleagues called on the BulSU Admin led by Teody San Andres for a statement and help in the search. But the administration remained unresponsive towards the plight of BulSU alumni on the grounds that they are no longer students of the university. 

At the same time student activists were experiencing surveillance and harassment outside the university, some of these students were summoned to the CCJE office on October 5, most of whom are members of STAND BulSU, to report on their participation in the protests. 

Meanwhile, Senator Althea Trinidad, who was also summoned to the CCJE Dean's office, shared her experience of being spied on by unknown men after she conveyed Jhed Tamano's message to her mother. 

"Kamakailan lang, isa ako sa naging biktima. Minatyagan kung ako ba ay aktibong nagre recruit ng mga komunistang grupo. Dahil sa kasama ako sa mga rally at nagpo-post sa social media ng mga critical posts.", said Sen. Althea.

BAND AID SOLUTIONS

President San Andres told his plan towards maintaining public safety through an exclusive interview.

"First, how to protect the students inside and outside of the community. I called the PNP that they should provide a mobile car between 6:00-9:30 in the evening because I want to protect the lives of people".

For added security, he personally asked the PNP to conduct daily rounds around the vicinity of the university situated within the capitol grounds.

The incidents where students in BulSU continuously face  red tagging, violations of privacy, gender discrimination, harassment, and suppression of dissent, show that there is a potential abuse of power and harm to personal freedom and expression accompanied by extensive surveillance. 

"Actually, ang university ay hindi safe para sa mga kritikal na tao, para sa mga may piniling expression, kasarian, at piniling ideology.", said Sen. Thea.

In regards to safety, the class schedule consistently appears to be tightly packed, especially throughout the week, in contrast from the more familiar schedules in Junior and Senior High. While this is not an exclusive issue in BulSU and is a common challenge across many universities, it continues to place significant stress on both students and faculty members.

In an interview conducted by Juan News with BulSUans on October, Jen, a 3rd-year journalism student, shared her difficulties with last year's schedule. She had a class that extended until 8 PM, and she resides in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

She found it difficult commuting during rush hour as she often felt uncertain about availability of public transportation considering the distance from her home. At certain times especially in the late evening, her relatives even had to fetch her to guarantee her safety.

In this way, Pres. Teody would rather resort to police surveillance as a way to 'maintain public safety' and not through other preventive measures like improving class schedules and sufficient classroom accommodation where he can ensure protection to students.

SG Senator Althea Trinidad asked about Dr. San Andres' platform for safeguarding students' democratic rights, safety, and academic freedom in a public forum on August 7 when he was still running as a presidential candidate. 

Dr. San Andres outlined plans to revise the curriculum, provide awareness to students through seminars and orientations, and establish an office advocating for student interests.

"Kung nagkaroon man ng tinatawag na 'di pagkakaunawaan, ang tanggapan ng pangulo, kung ako ang bibigyan ng pagkakataon, ay mayroon kaming tinatawag na students-leaders time para doon talakayin ang mga gustong gawin ng mga mag-aaral sa loob ng paaralan at sa community."

He stated that building an open relationship between the community and students, innovative processes, and capacity building for both teaching and non-teaching staff is the key to protecting students.

Whether these promises will actually be realized remains to be seen.

The Student Movement

(Photo from STAND BulSU)

On September 24, STAND BulSU, a student alliance at Bulacan State University, expressed concerns about the direction of BulSU under the newly-seated president, Dr. Teody San Andres. They claimed that his ‘reactionary politics, controversial business dealings within the university, and close ties to Gascon’ may mirror the former president’s ‘business-and-beautification-oriented’ and ‘regressive methods’

Amidst a national socioeconomic crisis and the quick passage of the 2024 budget, STAND BulSU questions the implications for the student movement. The focus shifts to the BulSUONE-led Student Government headed by SSG President Arianna de Jesus, which promised progressive reforms during the 2023 elections.

"'New' university administration needs more progressive and firm student representation," stated STAND BulSU in a facebook post.

While BulSUONE pledged to increase the education budget, reforming the student council, introduce a new party system, and advocate for a pro-environment and pro-people leadership, STAND BulSU claimed that there is not enough concrete progress. 

STAND BulSU expresses disappointment in the lack of efforts to review the outdated student government process and election system. They question the absence of a unified vision and action from the leadership of De Jesus, leading to concerns that history may repeat itself with another leadership akin to KSM's Camus.

In regards to these challenges, STAND BulSU calls for the student movement, led by the SSG, to be firm, militant, and brave. The student alliance highlighted the university's history of producing servants of the people, including individuals like Emmanuel Cortez, David Michael San Juan, and the alumnus Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano.

"Like what Jonila and Jhed showed us, even inside the belly of fascists, our spirits are unbreakable. Then, so are we, under Teody San Andres, Bongbong Marcos Jr. and Biden-Xi conflict."

The Student Government’s Perspective

The Incumbent Supreme Student Government (Photo from University Commission on Student Electione - BulSU UCSE)

In a recent courtesy call on August 31, President San Andres engaged in discussions with the student council at BulSU, addressing critical issues related to Faculty and Non-Academic Personnel Leadership and Development. The emphasis was on achieving a "work-life balance" while prioritizing "respect for time, health wellness, empowerment, and motivation."

The Student Supreme Government (SSG) expressed that such reforms are "long overdue" and issued a challenge to the new administration to urgently fix the system for the benefit of the Faculty and Non-Academic Personnel at BulSU.

On the matter of infrastructural development, a key focus of President San Andres's term, the Student Government (SG) calls for proper facilities and increased stipends for cultural groups, publications, and athletes. 

The administration responded by assuring the renovation of current rooms and accelerating its progress for student use. However, this announcement left the SG disappointed over the delayed assistance to students.

"Lagi na lamang ito ang sinasabi na bibilisan ang mekanismo pero hanggang ngayon butas ang bulsa ng ating mga mag-aaral," The SSG voiced in frustration.

The planned 25-hectare Campus 2 was also a proposed solution but the SG argued that there is simply not enough time to wait for the 'palace-like' Campus 2 for the good of the students.

"Ang panawagan namin sa bagong administrasyon ay magkaroon dapat ng tuwid, tunay, makatao, maka-estudyante at puno ng prinsipyong pamumuno na magsisigurado sa kapakanan ng mga stakeholder nito."

In an interview with BulSU SSG President Arianna de Jesus, she expressed that since President San Andres is still in his transition and adjustment phase, it's still too early to tell whether he could actually fulfill his duties towards the students. She noted how the past administration under Gascon had left so many lapses that the current administration has yet to fix. 

Arianna observed how his remarks were 'very positive' towards concerns she raised such as red tagging, mental health issues, facility issues, academic issues, and faculty issues during their discussions together and she also recognized the student government's role to also help find solutions to this problem.

"Second instance that made a certain impression on me is that his knowledge on certain in-depth and progressive matters should be improved more," she stated in an interview, acknowledging his job to 'consult at the grassroot level on what the students truly need for their well-being.'

When asked for her perspective on the students' impressions and comments towards the newly-seated President, she acknowledged her awareness towards the matter especially during the peak of elections. 

"As much as I am aware of these sentiments and impressions, I think, and I firmly stand with the students, that President Teody should prove that these comments should make him better, instead of taking it personally."

She stated that he didn't leave a very good impression on students even before running for president when he was still an EVP (Executive Vice President). 

Although she understood how he also had an obligation to follow the orders of Former President Gascon, she claimed that he needs to work on how he can make the students and the BulSU community put their trust on him and show that he is reliable and can be depended upon with 'utmost sincerity, humility, and kindness'.

"Now if he doesn't actually do something for the university to become better and for his leadership to be more pro student, pro people and pro university, then I guess, he will prove these impressions and comments about him."

Arianna also thinks that the red-tagging issue is the aspect that San Andres has to improve his decision making in and what the university president also told her that he ‘needs more help to understand,’ especially with him being involved in allegations of red-tagging students back in Gascon’s administration.

She expressed her hope that he could create a secured safe for progressive movements and protect students that are being red-tagged.

"I think the university president has the full capacity to protect its stakeholders."

The SSG President commented on how those who are highly critical towards the university administration are more likely to give more humanitarian, student-centered, and pro-faculty solutions and recommendations for the improvement of BulSU.

"I think the administration should never see them as an enemy or opposition, kasi in the first place, hindi naman nandiyan ang administrasyon para sambahin natin."

She proclaimed that as long as everyone worked towards a common goal, they would succeed in making Bulacan State University a better place for every Filipino to study in.

The Center Of It All

In an exclusive interview with President Teody San Andres, he immediately established himself as someone who reaches out to students when asked what are the things and steps he did to hear the voices of BulSUans.

"Students is the core of the curriculum, students are the center of my mission and vision."

He stated that he reached out to students headed by the student government and its ‘honorable’ president Arianna de Jesus. 

"We have a very short discourse, but it is very meaty, meaty in a sense that I listen carefully about their requests, "

San Andres mentioned the issue of budget allocation and believes that every organization, offices, and facilities have a right to run with proper budget as a conducive learning environment will result in productivity for students.

In regards to student publications, San Andres stated that he met with the various recognized publications of the university to provide a complete common office in the third floor of the Roxas Building and noted the necessity of sharing of resources.

"Ayokong may mga batang tumatakbo at tumatakas sa patak ng ulan, init ng araw, "

He also said that he had to go to the admissions office policy and reduce the board program to 87 and the non programs, as he recalls, were cut down to 85.

The university president also emphasized the importance of education to everyone in all walks of life, no matter their socio-economic status:

"Kinakailangan ng 4PS [para sa] anak ng driver, magsasaka, mangingisda, and so on … Para mabigyan sila ng chance na makapasok dito, hindi lamang sa taas ng grades … Kinakailangang mag-aral sila, bigyan ng chance."

He also said he made an effort to have an ‘automated’ and efficient process in the university through the students’ portal, and noted that there are no longer problems with internet connectivity.

"Wala nang problema sa internet connectivity, para makapag-aral ng maayos ang mga estudyante, "

San Andres also gave recognition to students doing their daily activities in the campus such as the usage of E-Library, student lounge, reading center and other environment resources, and ran to every college even without an appointed schedule because he 'want to see what is the real situation of different colleges in the campus'.

He expressed his concern for students having to line up just to access the E-Library, "Ayokong may nakapilang estudyante sa library. Gusto ko kahit na nakasalampak sila, mapuno ang library, wala akong pakialam basta't wag silang mabilad."

On the subject of criticism which President Teody is all too familiar with, he claimed innocence in the matter yet accepted the criticisms as ‘something normal’ and is part of academic freedom. 

He also acknowledges the definition of democracy and academic freedoman and its limits, stating that an excellent practitioner of Journalism ‘do not put out or do not write that which is beyond reality.’

"Do not create or fabricate any words and wisdom, mapapahamak tayo."

He also told of his experience in receiving negative messages which were seen by his family and he responded that 'it's all part of the game', showing his preparedness in facing unfavorable comments as the university president.

He stated that he challenged himself to prove those criticisms wrong and that he has to be a ‘strong leader of the university, as the father of the university’ and show that his heart is with the students, so much so that he is willing to surrender his personal life to serve BulSUans.

"Dahil lehitimo akong taga-Bulacan. I want to change the former admin, although I'm not really perfect and there's no such perfect in this world, only Jesus Christ, "

He admitted that as a human being, he still felt hurt due to the accusations and allegations against him:

"Nasaktan ako, yung asawa ko, sabi n'ya, "Please stop that", sabi ko hindi. Let us now fight the good fight."

The university president reiterated his utmost priority being the students, followed by teachers, and NAPA and stakeholders.

"Consultative ako, empowerment, motivation, and value creator. Irerespeto ko kung ano ang gusto ng estudyante, mag uusap kami whether it is beyond the reality of the policy."

When asked about his plans regarding the red tagging issues within the university, the President Teody started his response by saying that he does not want anyone to be involved in red-tagging, whether it is true or not.

"We can protect our students inside, we have provided security, devices, monitoring. Pa'no pag labas? Dapat mayroon din. Provided, the students are legit and officially enrolled in our university."

He stated the importance of having organizations that protect the rights of the students, especially the Office of Student Affairs, as well as coordinating with local units of the university in Bulacan so that the administration may help and protect students inside and outside the university, 

"Ang tulong ay hindi ko ipagkakait, kahit kanino. Kahit hindi estudyante. kahit na kabataan na sa ibang university o sa labas, hindi ko ipagkakait."

The future of the university lies on both the university president and the students. The student alliances have been constant with their demands for change and resolution for the university’s quality of environment and education. Meanwhile, the previous 8-year-long administration had left a lot of lapses that demand to be duly fulfilled with long-term solutions.

Although Pres. San Andres’ leadership is still premature to be deemed as a failure, he had already been a part of the previous admin, adding to the pressure on his hot seat. He promised to put the needs of the students first by establishing a better relationship with them. To acquire proof of his words, one can only wait and see until the effects of his efforts take place.