Aerial shot of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila. 鈥擯hoto from the Facebook page of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Office of the Student Regent of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) has called for a mass walkout of students on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to mark the 39th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, joining several institutions in observing this historical event that toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
鈥淓dsa is a protest, and with or without classes, students will walk out,鈥� student regent Kim Modelo said in a Facebook post over the weekend.
Modelo made the call after the university administration refused to mark the date as a holiday.
She called the move not to declare Feb. 25 as a holiday a form of 鈥渉istorical distortion.鈥�
鈥淲e are calling for alternative learning and a class suspension on Feb. 25 not only because we want to attend the Edsa mobilization, but because we want our school to stand against all injustices of the Marcos, Sr. regime and show protest to the Marcos, Jr. administration for his holiday downgrade,鈥� Modelo said.
鈥淣ot declaring this day a holiday is a form of historical distortion because PBBM [President Bongbong Marcos] does not want to see how strong we are when we collectively walk out 鈥� he is scared,鈥� she added.
Meanwhile, Modelo said several PUP students would join the protest rally in the Edsa People Power Monument in Quezon City on Tuesday.
Upon Malaca帽ang鈥檚 declaration that the Edsa People Power anniversary would not be a special non-working holiday, several institutions, including the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas, and St. Scholastica鈥檚 College-Manila, declared the suspension of classes.
READ: LIST: More schools suspend classes for Edsa People Power anniversary
Marcos Sr. announced the declaration of martial law on Sept. 23, 1972 (though the proclamation was dated Sept. 21, 1972), to quell what he said was growing threats from the Maoist insurgents and Islamic separatists.
At least 70,000 people were wrongly imprisoned and 3,200 others were killed during martial law, according to Amnesty International.
The World Bank also claimed that Marcos Sr. stole between $5 billion and $10 billion from the country鈥檚 coffers.
鈥淥ur school is not blind to all the injustices Martial Law of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. has caused, with many leaders coming from our line, and we should be at the forefront of remembering them,鈥� the PUP student regent said on Sunday.