The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will push through with school engagements despite a heated confrontation with student activists during its April 21 exhibit at the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco defended the event as part of pre-anniversary activities coinciding with UST’s 415th founding.
She said the display was a standard outreach effort to showcase military assets and inform the public about the service.
Basco stressed the engagement was coordinated with university authorities and described it as a “non-coercive platform for education.”
She added the PAF remains committed to fostering understanding of its role in national sovereignty and peace.
The exhibit turned tense when activists protested the presence of military hardware, with viral clips showing a student accusing the institution of human rights violations.
“Ang pinakapunto ko po is you are all part of the institution who violate the human rights of the Filipino people you are trying to protect,” the student told a PAF officer.
In response, the officer dismissed the claim during the exchange: “Idinadaan niyo po sa mga argumentong basesless talaga.”
According to The Flame, the official student publication of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, the protesters were eventually escorted out of the venue.
The confrontation occurred amid heightened scrutiny regarding military operations.
Just two days prior, the Philippine Army (PA) killed 19 alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Toboso, Negros Occidental.
While the military tagged the casualties as insurgents, human rights groups claimed several were civilians and advocates.
Among those killed were RJ Nichole Ledesma, a regional coordinator for alternative media organization Altermidya, and Alyssa Alano, a councilor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman University Student Council.
The PAF, however, rejected claims that the campus presence was an intrusion or a form of coercion.
Basco emphasized that the engagement was arranged through proper institutional channels, describing it as a “non-coercive platform for education.”
Despite criticism, Basco said the Air Force will continue working with schools to hold similar activities ahead of its 79th anniversary on July 1. (Martin Sadongdong)
