On Wednesday, protesters crowded in Dwinelle Hall outside a lecture sponsored by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco to demand the consulate sever ties with campus.
The protesters alleged that the Philippine Consulate — which is responsible for providing travel documents to Filipinos as well as financial support in times of distress — has neglected its financial obligation to assist Filipino nationals living outside of the Philippines.
The protesters, including Filipino campus organizations such as the League of Filipino Students, demanded that the Philippine Consulate, members of which were in attendance at the event, stop providing money to campus and use its funding from the Filipino government to aid Filipino nationals in the United States.
“The Philippine Consulate is meant to provide money to Filipino migrants who are in distress, but basically what we’ve seen is they haven’t been providing money to Filipino migrants, and then are instead giving $7,000 to the university,” alleged Dominic Nider-Savageau, director of the League of Filipino Students.
At roughly 4:30 p.m., a group of about 35 protesters mobilized from Lower Sproul Plaza to the upper floors of Dwinelle Hall, where they remained outside a lecture room for roughly two hours. The lecture, held by the Center for Southeast Asia Studies, or CSEAS, was titled “Brother Andrew Gonzalez Lecture: Cracks in the Pith Paper: Reframing Philippine Art History,” and featured speaker Florina Capistrano-Baker.
Protesters chanted “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation.” Several protesters spoke during the rally, including ASUC president Abigail Verino and ASUC senator-elect Gabby Torres.
“This university is complicit in the history of Filipino atrocities against the Filipino people, so it’s important to be at this event today because our Filipino tax dollars are going to funding lectures instead of supporting migrant overseas Filipino workers,” Verino alleged. “For us to be able to use our agency as Filipino-Americans, especially at this university, means so much and it’s a responsibility that we have.”
Protesters called for greater transparency from the Institute for East Asian Studies, or IEAS — which encompasses the CSEAS — regarding the allocation of funding received from the Philippine Consulate.
IEAS Director Penny Edwards refuted that claim.
“The IEAS and CSEAS have also been fully transparent about the use of these funds, which, at approximately $25,000 in total, supports the research activities of the Filipinx and Philippine Studies Working Group, which is composed of graduate students studying the history and culture of Filipinos both in the Philippines and in the diaspora,” Edwards said in an email.
Before the lecture began, a group of about seven protesters entered the lecture hall and delayed the lecture for more than 20 minutes. Protesters engaged in a heated conversation with a graduate student and consulate members while the lecture proceeded.
When approached by The Daily Californian at the event, several consulate officials declined to comment.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., the protest concluded while consulate members and several attendees used a back exit to avoid confrontation with protesters.
“Time and time again our community has continued to fight for visibility on our campus,” Torres said. “It’s important that as students we are able to keep (the Philippine Consulate) accountable for (its) actions.”