Institutional authority should not become a license to silence criticism.

CAGAYAN DE ORO — Any disciplinary action should have legal basis.

Alyajier Midtimbang, editor-in-chief of The Scribe, student publication of the state-run Mindanao State University (MSU)-Maguindanao, stressed this point after his suspension from his position over a column he wrote questioning the school’s non-participation in an annual event.

He said that there was no provision in the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 that stipulated suspension as a penalty if the student paper failed to obtain the administration’s comment.

“[W]e recognize that journalists have an ethical responsibility to provide relevant parties a fair opportunity to respond and to correct substantive errors when necessary,” Midtimbang said in a statement sent to Bulatlat. “However, it is also important to distinguish between an ethical or editorial standard and an express statutory requirement.”

On September 1, The Scribe released a column article titled “One MSU, but Maguindanao is out of the Unity Games 2026? Trailblazer no longer on the trail?” It questioned MSU-Maguindanao’s non-participation for this year’s MSU System Athletic Association (MSUSAA) Unity Games, asking what contributes to such a decision and wondering if it has something to do with insufficient funding.

Midtimban wrote in his column that the annual event is more than a competition. It is also a venue for celebration and for building camaraderie. 

The article demanded that the school administration issue a statement which it did later on the same day. 

The Office of the Chancellor, which also issued the memorandum regarding Midtimbang’s suspension, stated that the administration, in consultation with the deans, made the decision not to participate in the annual unity games and to direct their resources toward completing their facilities and accreditation commitments.

On the same day, however, a memorandum addressed to the vice chancellor and The Scribe’s adviser was issued, directing their immediate action following the publication of the said column article which allegedly raised insinuations against the university’s management of public funds without hearing its side.

Midtimbang’s suspension, based on the memorandum, also means revocation of his access to all The Scribe accounts.

In a statement, MSU Lantaw, the alliance of campus journalists in MSU Main Campus in Marawi City, questioned the school administration’s directive, calling for fair, impartial, and lawful proceedings, especially to The Scribe and its editor-in-chief.

The group said that institutional authority should not become a license to silence criticism. “If the story is wrong, answer the story. If The Scribe questioned the funds, then show the figures. If it questioned the participation of athletes, then explain the policy. If there were errors, present the correct information.” 

“The strongest answer to journalism is not censorship. It is transparency,” MSU Lantaw added.

The Davao chapter of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), a national alliance of student publications and campus journalists, also condemned the school administration’s act, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Midtimbang’s suspension.

“The MSU–Maguindanao administration cannot invoke ‘discipline’ as a shield against scrutiny while leveraging its administrative authority over students and refusing to subject its own decisions to examination,” the group said.

Read: Political content led to attacks vs campus press

From July 2023 to June 2024, CEGP documented 206 cases of alleged campus press freedom violations. This is apart from the over 1,000 cases from 2010 to 2021. Censorship topped the list, according to the group.

Lawmakers belonging to the Makabayan bloc filed House Bill No. 4172 (Campus Press Freedom Act) in August 2025 which seeks to replace the current Campus Journalism Act of 1991. 

It aims to authorize concerned government agencies to investigate campus press freedom violations and impose administrative sanctions on the violators. (DAA)