By: Clara Ysabel S. Alumaga | Resistome
The UPLB Genetics Society joined the university-wide walkout last September 19, 2025 and the 53rd Martial Law Commemoration mobilization last September 21, 2025 in solidarity with the collective call to end corruption and demand accountability from those in power. Through this participation, the organization reaffirmed its belief that scientific pursuit must go hand in hand with social responsibility, and that silence in the face of injustice is never an option.
The University of the Philippines has long stood as a bastion of progress, critical thought, and militancy, playing a defining role in the nation’s continuing struggle for democracy. From the First Quarter Storm of 1970, when students rose against imperialism, poverty, and state neglect, to the present day, the spirit of resistance endures. Though the issues have evolved, they remain rooted in the same structures of inequality and repression that generations of Iskolars ng Bayan have long sought to dismantle. This spirit remains in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, where student organizations have served as the driving force of social consciousness. From the stories of Tish Ladlad, Tina Catalla, Rizalina Ilagan, and all student-leader victims of Martial Law, the student movement has since become stronger and wider. As an academic organization, The UPLB Genetics Society believes in its role as part of this long-standing movement and recognizes its responsibility in shaping a just and critical society outside the four walls of a classroom.
Widespread corruption continues to plague the nation. Even as UP struggles with a PHP 2.08-billion budget cut this 2025, depriving education, research, and public health institutions like the Philippine General Hospital of crucial support, corrupt officials continue to pocket billions from fraudulent flood control projects. According to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, these “Ghost Projects” have already cost the Philippine economy up to PHP 100-billion which is equivalent to 95,000 to 266,000 jobs that could have benefited Filipinos. These highlight that not only do these anomalous flood control projects result in substandard infrastructures, outbreaks of leptospirosis, and rising flood-related deaths, but also directly affect the education and livelihood of the Filipinos.
The cooperation of DPWH officials with private contractors in these fraudulent projects exposes the deep-seated problem of bureaucrat capitalism where government positions are treated as instruments for personal gains and political survival. This further reveals how corruption is not a single act of theft, but a system that robs people of safety, dignity, and opportunity. This system has allowed the same families and figures to remain in power despite their long records of corruption and abuse. The return of the Marcoses to Malacañang stands as the clearest example of this cycle through historical distortion and manipulation of public perception.
Alongside the calls against corruption during the walkout were calls against fascism under the Marcos Jr. administration that stands as an echo of the dictatorship once imposed by his father. In the same month, the 53rd year since the declaration of Martial Law by Marcos Sr. was commemorated. In the face of the aforementioned corruption cases, and cases of red-tagging, illegal detention, threats to academic and press freedom under the administration of the late dictator’s son Marcos Jr., it is clear that the legacy of the Marcoses lives on. This only fuels and strengthens the resolve of the people, especially the youth and the student body, in amplifying the calls, resisting oppression, and demanding accountability.
The UPLB Genetics Society stands in solidarity with the Filipino people through its active participation in mobilizations and collective actions. The organization believes that genuine scientific education entails a deeper understanding of the struggles of society and that science must be studied in the context of social relevance. Hence, the organization also urges fellow student organizations, especially academic organizations, to take part in the growing movement for genuine change, and embody the ideals of UP: Passion, Excellence, and Service.
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