For decades, the gates between the University and Katipunan Avenue have served as the cradles of Atenean protest. They have borne witness to the members of the Ateneo community that took part in the tradition of resistance against the changing faces of injustice and oppression.
The metal fences stretching from Gates 2 to 3 of the Ateneo’s Loyola Heights campus have seen
brighter days. Worn down by rain, shine, dirt, and grime, the wires are battered and bent out of
shape at certain sections. Passersby and Ateneans in transit
may notice the rust creeping through the veins of these stalwart structures, yet rarely does
anyone say much of anything more in appreciation for these seasoned gates.
If these fences could only speak, one could marvel for days on end at the stories
they’d tell about the generations of freedom fighters from protests past. For decades, these
gates have served as both stage and spotlight
for the University community’s fight against different forms of oppression and injustice. From
the rise of student-led public protest during former dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ regime to
contemporary mobilizations against the Duterte
administration, the gates hold the echoes of democracy seized and wielded by the people.
While this is by no means a complete record of every protest that took place along
those gates—with The GUIDON’s documentation only going so far—these protests must be remembered
moving forward into a future which may
carry its own tyrants to rally against.
September 8, 1983
Around 100 Ateneans assembled at Gate 2 to stir up clamor for the immediate resignation of Chief Justice Enrique Fernando due to public suspicion of his impartiality as the chair of the fact-finding committee tasked to investigate the assassination of Senator Ninoy Aquino. The protesters mobilized towards Fernando’s house where the Sanggunian President at the time personally delivered a formal letter demanding for his resignation.
(The GUIDON – October 1983)
September 15, 1983
Following a 12-hour hunger strike, 600 Ateneans gathered near Gate 3 to protest media repression following the assassination of Senator Ninoy Aquino. The student congregation proceeded to burn copies of Marcos-sympathetic publications, such as the Bulletin Today, which was owned by Marcos crony Hans Menzi, and the allegedly Marcos-owned Daily Express, whose editor was Imelda Marcos’ relative Enrique Romualdez.
(The GUIDON – October 1983)
September 28, 1983
A rosary prayer rally was held at Gate 3 in the name of the late Senator Ninoy Aquino after his assassination. This came a few days after Ateneans joined 50,000 protesters at Liwasang Bonifacio for the anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law.
(The GUIDON – March 1984)
January 28, 1985
Students from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) set up a barricade along Katipunan Avenue to stage an information campaign in support of the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations who clamored for a fare rollback and lower license fees. 50 riot police arrived and fired plastic bullets at the participants to disperse the protest. Students from the Ateneo and UPD fled towards the Ateneo campus via Gate 2, which was shut thereafter to prevent police entry. The police then waited outside until a warrant of arrest arrived so that they could enter the school premises. The standoff came to an end when University President Joaquin Bernas, SJ, Ninoy Aquino’s cousin Butz Aquino, and other priests negotiated with the police. Two Ateneans were among the seven civilians arrested that day.
(The GUIDON – February 1985)
December 1989
Following a military coup attempt against President Corazon Aquino’s administration, the Loyola Schools Central Board for Students and the Ateneo Council of Activities condemned the military’s subversion and emphasized the need for urgent government reforms. The Central Board organized activities to promote peace, including a candle lighting ceremony along Gate 3 and street performances of satirical skits by Ateneo Enterteynment para sa Tao, Bayan, Lansangan, at Diyos throughout the six day vigil.
(The GUIDON Special Coup issue– December 16, 1989)
September 8-12, 1997
The Office of Social Concern and Involvement led a series of noise barrages along Gates 2 to 3 to protest the government’s bid for constitutional reforms, including one that would possibly extend President Fidel V. Ramos’ term. Among the chief concerns raised by the protesters at the time was the alleged power imbalance between the national government’s acting arms and the negative impact of the proposed reforms on the Philippine economy.
(The GUIDON – October 1997)
August 17, 1999
A noise barrage mobilized beside campus gates was led by Robert Reyes, who was also known as the “Running Priest.” They gathered to protest the government’s bid for charter change (Cha-Cha). Simultaneously, a group of anti-Cha-Cha government representatives including House Representatives Juan Miguel Zubiri, Mike Defensor, Robert Barbers embarked on a freedom run through Gate 3.
(The GUIDON – July 1998)
November 14, 2000
In light of President Joseph Estrada’s infamous jueteng scandal involving his acceptance of bribery funds linked to illegal gambling operations, demonstrations and information drives were initiated by the Ateneo and University of the Philippines Diliman students along Katipunan to raise awareness on the country’s ongoing political crisis.
(The GUIDON – September 1999)
February 10-15, 2003
With the looming threat of a war between the United States and Iraq, the Sanggunian condemned President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s support for the further escalation of conflict between the two states. The student government conducted a series of activities throughout the campus to raise awareness of the issue, including a human chain along Katipunan near Ateneo’s gates.
(The GUIDON – February 24, 2003)
September 13, 2005
Dissenting the attempted dismissal of the impeachment case against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Ateneo Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Students, and members of the University staff conducted a noise barrage along Gate 2, with groups of students and faculty members from external Universities also taking part. De La Salle system President Armin Luistro, FSC gave a speech at the mobilization, emphasizing the importance of the youth’s role in the country’s situation at the time.
(The GUIDON – October 2005)
December 11, 2006
Ateneans rallied together with concerned student representatives from Miriam College and the University of the Philippines Diliman along Gate 2.5 to protest Speaker of the House of Representatives Jose de Vencia’s proposal for a national parliamentary form of government. The Sanggunian called this an “abuse of our democracy.”
(The GUIDON – December 2006)
November 23, 2007
The government granted San Miguel Foods, Incorporated permission to use Sumilao farmers’ land for agri-industrial exploits, thereby violating the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law. As a means of peaceful protest, the Sumilao farmers walked for two months from Bukidnon in Mindanao to Manila. The Ateneo welcomed the farmers into the campus, giving them first aid and providing food and shelter for the night. Afterwards, a mass and candle lighting ceremony were held at Gate 2.5 as a sign of solidarity with the Sumilao farmers.
(The GUIDON – December 2007)
August 12, 2011
Students from the Ateneo, Miriam College, and representatives from Loyola Heights establishments and residences protested the local government’s authorization of the SM Development Corporation’s (SMDC) construction of a 42-story condominium in an area that limits buildings to only 24 floors. More than a hundred protesters gathered at Gate 2.5 to rally against alleged “shortcuts” and legal red tape involved with the construction of SMDC’s Blue Residences.
August 6, 2012
Students and faculty members gathered at Gate 2.5 to participate in a noise barrage and prayer vigil in support of House Bill No. 4244, also known as the Reproductive Health Bill. Despite the proximity of the protest and the crowd’s constituents, the University administration denied support for the mobilization and the petition to pass the bill altogether.
November 24, 2014
Five years and one day after the Ampatuan massacre in Maguindanao, a prayer vigil was held in commemoration of the 58 individuals and journalists who were slain in the mass killing. Memorial candles were lit at Gate 2.5, where members of the Ateneo Enterteynment para sa Tao, Bayan, Lansangan, at Diyos simultaneously performed a re-enactment of the tragedy and the investigation into the local Ampatuan political clan’s involvement in orchestrating the massacre.
November 18, 2016
Immediately following the confirmation of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s secret burial in Libingan ng mga Bayani, members of the Loyola schools mobilized and staged a protest at Gate 2.5. The demonstration, alongside several other mobilizations across Metro Manila, was held to express the indignation of the protesters against Marcos’ burial and the full military honors given by the Armed Forces of the Philippines during his interment.
March 2, 2017
In response to the approval of the Death Penalty Bill on second reading, students mobilized at the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership building lobby and walked out of their classrooms towards Gate 2.5 to protest the decisions made by incumbent government representatives.
August 24, 2017
A demonstration that honored Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old victim of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, was held at Gate 2.5. Students, faculty, and staff of the Ateneo High School and Loyola Schools arrived to participate in the mobilization. The protesters dispersed after the arrival of an unlicensed police vehicle parked by campus gates.
February 15, 2019
Ateneo de Manila’s Confederation of Publications (COP) arranged a mobilization condemning Rappler Chief Executive Officer Maria Ressa’s arrest following charges of cyber-libel stemming from a seven-year-old report. Together with student activists and publications from around the country, editors from COP spoke about the threats surrounding press freedom as participants held black flags as a sign of solidarity in Gate 2.5.
September 20, 2019
Members of the University participated in a protest in solidarity with the Global Climate Strike held all around the world. The protesters gathered at Gate 2.5, asserting the need for immediate climate action. They demanded change from corporations that abuse nonrenewable resources and politicians who continue to remain idle or deny the existence of the climate crisis.
June 12, 2020
Despite stringent quarantine measures brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sanggunian led a protest against the Anti-Terrorism Bill at Gate 2.5 for the bill’s unconstitutional provisions that may be weaponized to silence critics. Since it was also the country’s 122nd Independence Day, the rally echoed the clamor of simultaneous protests nationwide that called on the government to junk the Anti-Terrorism Bill. According to the Sanggunian, “the fight for freedom is not over.”
"Protest... is a reaction to forgetting,"
says English Department Assistant Professor Joyce Martin, who specializes in memory and trauma
studies. She explains that there are powerful and oppressive entities who will use their
resources to rewrite the country’s history in their favor. Martin explains
that there are multiple ways in order to combat this “imposed institutionalization of memory.”
According to her, protest can take many forms, from signing petitions to creating art.
It is important to remember that the Atenean youth protest was never confined to these
gates. Ateneans stood against the late Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship by marching with their
fellow Filipinos throughout the Martial
Law years to rage against systemic injustice and tyranny. Beginning last October 2019, Ateneans
have rallied to protect survivors of sexual harassment after allegations of misdemeanor among
faculty came to light, protesting in
front of the adminstration’s offices. The battle against oppressive forces stretches from within
the campus and reaches well beyond those borders.