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CAMARINES SUR, Philippines – A pre-election survey published Friday, February 7, by The SPARK, the official student-community publication of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC), ignited controversy and threats of censorship and repression by the school administration and a public rebuke from their province’s head of the most powerful political dynasty.
The survey, conducted from December 1-7, 2024, showed that incumbent 2nd District Representative and gubernatorial candidate L-ray Villafuerte trailed in the polls among CSPC students’ governor bets for the 2025 election. Enraged by the results, Villafuerte denounced the publication’s post as “fake news,” sparking a tense standoff between his camp and campus publications in the region.
The Villafuerte political dynasty started in 1986 and has since occupied the highest executive positions in the Camarines Sur province. L-Ray is the father of the incumbent governor Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte and the incumbent District 5 Representative Miguel Luis Villafuerte, with the latter serving as the representative of Chairperson of Committee on Higher and Technical Education Mark Go in the CSPC’s board of trustees, the highest decision-making body of the institution.
Paul Luna, The SPARK’s editor-in-chief, confirmed that they were summoned by their administration because of their post. They were pertinently asked to delete their post because they were threatened of possible consequences, particularly legal charges.
“University President Amado Oliva, Jr., told me that they will meet us at the CSPC President’s Office at 9 am on Saturday, February 8, 2025. He repeatedly said that I should delete the post about The SPARK’s gubernatorial survey. He said that the current elections are intense and that we should be careful about what we post relative to them,” Luna revealed.
‘Fake survey’
In a statement, Villafuerte questioned the publication’s survey results, accusing the publication of releasing fake and manipulated results based on over 500 surveyed students that he said had been chosen by the publication without any scientific or objective methodology.
L-RAY’S POST. L-Ray Villafuerte’s post on February 7, following the release of The SPARK’s pre-election gubernatorial survey, where he was defeated by Bong Rodriguez, the former campaign manager of former Vice President Leni Robredo.“There’s a fake survey that is being spread, claiming that the results were from over 500 respondents from Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua with a population of enrolled students of over 14,000. We know that they only surveyed people randomly, and we also know that it’s not a scientific and objective survey. They simply released a fake survey and fake results,” Villafuerte wrote in a public post shared on Facebook around 11:00 pm on February 7.
The SPARK, on the other hand, clarified that its pre-election survey only accepted votes from legitimate CSPC students using their school emails and verified school numbers. The publication said the results were reported without any manipulation and the survey was conducted without bias or prejudice.
“The mock elections only accepted responses from CSPC students with verified school numbers; thus, outsiders or those without CSPC emails were not given access to the said form. With the population of 13,939 for the first semester of the current school year, a sample size of 549 with a confidence level of 95% only has a margin of error of +-4%. Of the 549 respondents, only 498 students from Camarines Sur who are registered voters of the said province were allowed to pick their gubernatorial bet,” Luna explained.
L-Ray Villafuerte loses the CSPC’s pre-election gubernatorial survey based on the survey conducted by The SPARK on December 1-7, 2024. The post was temporarily deleted but was restored due to pertinent censorship and pressure applied on the publication. Screenshot from The SPARK Facebook page. The CSPC administration also posted a statement clarifying that the survey was solely conducted by the publication and they were not involved in any stage or process. They further affirmed that the results do not represent the views or opinions of CSPC as an academic institution.
“The survey results [were] based on the responses of only 498 participants, representing a very small portion of CSPC’s student population of over 14,000 students. As such, the results are neither comprehensive nor reflective of the sentiments of the entire student body,” CSPC’s page stated in their official statement published a few minutes after Villafuerte’s post.
According to the publication, in September 2023, the CSPC administration also censored the content posted by The SPARK about martial law when President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., visited the school. Several attempts to intervene in the publication’s operations and censorship of their critical content have continuously persisted over the years until it blew to the most recent controversy.
Despite the school administration’s meddling in The SPARK’s operations, CSPC Supreme Student Council President and Student Trustee Trixia Kate Morata affirmed that the student council will always side with the student body and The SPARK in their independent and critical practice of journalism.
“This is very alarming, especially because they continuously muzzle the voices of the student body. The council, as representatives of CSPCeans, will always side with the students and will stand up for what is right and what will be in the best interest of the students. With what is happening, we also feel oppressed, but we will not think twice about defending the rights of the students,” Morata said.
She added that they will be helping the publication with whatever they need from the student council. She maintained that they will be with The SPARK in defending their right of speech and of the press as guaranteed by every student’s fundamental and academic rights.
“We will aid The SPARK with whatever they will need. The student council will not let the student publication be repressed of their rights to freedom of speech and of the press,” Morata guaranteed. She demanded that “the CSPC administration prioritize the safety and protect the welfare of the students at all costs.”
Campus journalists show support
According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), the incident involving The SPARK is a clear violation of press freedom, with the Villafuertes attacking the publication publicly and by using their influence to pressure the school administration. They said that it’s the job of the administration to back the publication and not censor them in such situations.
“Campus newspapers are simply fulfilling their mandate to report accurately and fairly. If politicians are so angly at the initiatives of the journalists in this election, like the mock polls, they just don’t deserve to be voted for. Politicians who trample on the human rights of campus newspapers or students have no place in government offices,” CEGP Spokesperson Brell Lacerna emphasized.
He also added that campus publications and students must be united in defending press freedom. Echoing this, numerous Bicol campus publications have also released news, editorials, and statements backing up the campus press freedom rights of The SPARK. They said that it is the publication’s job to be critical, especially during the crucial times in the nearing election season, citing that as watchdogs, publications must serve as a platform for political discourse.
“This is not an isolated incident of censorship. Accordingly, the censorship of The SPARK is a violation of press freedom, particularly the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. This law safeguards the free speech and press of student publications, ensuring they remain steadfast in reporting relevant information and exposing the irregularities of the powers-that-be,” Ateneo de Naga University’s official student publication, The Pillars, wrote in their solidarity statement.
Similar statements were released by Bicol University’s student publication The Bicol Universitarian, Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology’s official student publication The BISCAST Collegian, Bicol State University of Agriculture – Pili Campus’ student publication The Stateans Online, and others.
With the Villafuertes’ invitation to The SPARK and CSPC Student Council members for a face-to-face dialogue in the provincial capitol on Sunday, February 9, the students are raising concerns about their safety and security, especially after numerous members of the publication were publicly posted about, identified, and besmirched as fake news peddlers.
“As much as it is rattling, especially that the photo of my family was posted, I try not to get overwhelmed by what’s happening. I’m still thinking about what to do next. I know it’s a long fight, but we can’t just let it go,” said Fernan Matthew Enimedez, The SPARK’s associate editor. The Villafuerte camp identified Enimedez and accused him of being biased towards Villafuerte’s opponent Bong Rodriguez.
Enimedez’s old family photo with a frame supporting the Leni-Kiko tandem from three years ago was posted by a Facebook page bearing L-Ray’s name without Enimedez’s permission as a private citizen. He also denied allegations from Villafuerte’s camp that he was acting in the interest of Rodriguez.
The SPARK reiterated that the publication and its members are “not in the business of getting paid nor are planning to do so.”
As of writing, the CEGP is further studying the case and is preparing legal documents to perform proper actions to defend The SPARK and other campus publications’ rights and freedoms. – Rappler.com
