De La Salle Philippines today denounced the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) decision to file sedition charges against Armin Luistro and Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, two prominent figures linked to the educational community who have been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“They are merely exercising their freedom enshrined in our Constitution which guarantees ‘the freedom of speech, of expression, of the press, and the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances,'” De La Salle Philippines said in a statement posted on Facebook, citing Article III, Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution.
Luistro is a Lasallian religious brother who was secretary of the Department of Education from 2010 to 2016. Diokno, on the other hand, is a lawyer and the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law who ran for senator under the opposition Liberal Party in the May mid-term elections.
Both Luistro and Diokno were among the 36 individuals the PNP charged with sedition, cyber libel, libel, fraud, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to oust Duterte. They, along with Vice President Leni Robredo and other key opposition figures, allegedly worked with a man named Peter Joemel Advincula to release videos connecting the Duterte camp to the illegal drug trade.
In its statement, De La Salle Philippines urged the police to not allow itself to be used for political ends. It also called on the Duterte administration to end the filing of charges against its critics and protect “the democratic space for dissent, grievances, and critical perspectives.”
“The government is for all and not just for those who agree with the policies of the administration,” De La Salle Philippines said.
Luistro, Diokno, and the larger De La Salle community have been critical of Duterte and his war on drugs.
De La Salle Philippines also encouraged Filipinos to continue to voice out their support for human rights and democratic principles.
De La Salle Philippines is a community of schools run by the Roman Catholic De La Salle Christian Brothers. De La Salle University in Manila is considered one of the top universities in the Philippines.
