Saint Louis University (SLU) marked the beginning of the second semester as students stood for the First Day Fight protest at the SLU Main Campus Gate earlier today, January 12.
Led by SLU-based National Democratic Mass Organizations (NDMOs)—Anakbayan SLU, Democratic Alliance of Students for Integrated Governance (DASIG), Innabuyog–Gabriela Youth SLU, and Bahaghari SLU—the protest, also joined by the Kataas-taasang Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral/Supreme Student Council (KASAMA/SSC), highlighted concerns over the tuition fee hike, strict dress code policies, and unresolved problems in enrollment, facilities, and student services, as well as national issues affecting the student body.
Jesamine Ramolete, KASAMA/SSC School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts (STELA) Governor, explained why students continue to mobilize despite years of dialogue.
“If until today, we are still fighting for the same concerns kasi nga we are still not seeing progress or resolutions with regards to these matters,” she said, citing tuition increases, inadequate services, and poor facilities as recurring issues.
She added, “Yes, it is tiring for us [to complain] over and over again pero siyempre, para sa amin, hindi siya nakakapagod ipaglaban kung para naman sa buong sangka-estudyantehan at para naman sa buong sambayanang Pilipino.”
Ramolete also emphasized a shift in the student movement’s stance toward the administration, stating, “We don’t want compromising anymore,” and later stressing, “We’re done settling for less.”
During the program, Alexandra Gargar, Vice President of the KASAMA/SSC Executive Committee, highlighted efforts to strengthen student welfare through the council’s Students and People’s Rights and Welfare (SPRAW).
Gargar criticized campus policies that hinder inclusive and safe spaces, particularly the dress code, saying, “Sa halip na maging inklusibo, nagbubunga ito ng body-shaming, diskriminasyon, at pananahimik.”
Meanwhile, Bahaghari SLU drew attention to ongoing discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community, stressing that symbolic gestures are insufficient without genuine representation and systemic change, “Hindi mga bakla ang may kailangan ng factory reset. Ang may kailangan ng pagbabago at ebolusyon ay ang sistemang bulok na kumikitil sa atin.”
Speakers from Innabuyog–Gabriela Youth SLU cited past victories, such as the withdrawal of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. from the Baguio Public Market Redevelopment Project, as proof that collective action yields results, while emphasizing that the struggle for women’s rights and social justice must continue.
For DASIG, unresolved issues in facilities, transparency, and accountability remain central concerns. The alliance reiterated that protest should not be mistaken for disorder and urged students to stand with the people and reject fear.
Closing the program, Uno Quibin, 1st–2nd Year Representative of the STELA Assembly, underscored the importance of calling students to actively participate in collective action.
“You have to use your voice, you have your platform, and the most powerful tool as a student is your voice,” he said. By Marielle Barela