Close to a hundred student organizations and youth leaders nationwide have declared Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan banned from Philippine schools, vowing to mobilize big protests should he set foot on their campuses and bring China’s threats and false narratives into their educational institutions.
The groups, led by the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) and Akbayan Youth, said in a joint statement on Thursday that Filipino students would not allow educational institutions to become platforms for a foreign aggressor to undermine Philippine sovereignty.
“Our schools must remain spaces for learning, critical inquiry, and the defense of truth, freedom, and national dignity. They must never be used as platforms for intimidation or for advancing narratives that threaten Philippine sovereignty and our territorial integrity,” the statement read.
Khylla Meneses, Akbayan Youth national chairperson, said Jing should not expect to be welcomed into Philippine schools while China continues to threaten the country and harass Filipino fisherfolk and frontliners in the West Philippine Sea.
“China may have its so-called list, but we also have Jing Quan on our list. The Filipino youth will not sit quietly as our fisherfolk and frontliners in the West Philippine Sea face harassment and our sovereignty is threatened. If Jing brings his intimidation to our campuses, he should expect students to meet him with massive protests,” she said.
The youth and student groups also called on school and university administrations to stand with their students in defending national sovereignty and academic freedom.
“We call on school administrations to stand with their students and refuse to let campuses become venues for foreign intimidation. When our country is threatened, our academic institutions must stand for the Filipino people. No foreign government is above our national sovereignty,” the SCAP said.
Among the schools where student leaders have declared Jing banned are the University of the Philippines Diliman, University of the Philippines Cebu, University of the Philippines Baguio, Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Universidad de Manila, Philippine Normal University, Taguig City University, University of Caloocan City, Arellano University, University of San Carlos, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, Rizal Technological University, Central Luzon State University, Bulacan State University, Pampanga State University, Holy Angel University, Palawan State University, Cavite State University, Adamson University, and Mindanao State University-General Santos City.
“Ambassador Jing, keep your blacklist. We’ll keep adding schools to ours. And ours is growing by the minute. You are not welcome where Filipino students stand for our fisherfolk and sovereignty,” Meneses said. #
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