The Kabataan Party-list expressed support for Today’s Carolinian (TC), campus newspaper at the University of San Carlos (USC), amid the administration’s repression. The party, along with the Makabayan Bloc, and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) filed a resolution with the House of Representatives on January 23 to condemn the eviction of the newspaper from their office.

The USC administration kicked TC out of its office at the USC-Downtown Campus on January 15. The newspaper reported to no dialogue took place and that they were suddenly evicted by virtue of a posted “note” on January 17, which stated that starting January 15, the Alumni Office will take over the space.

In August 2024 its USC-Talamban Campus office was also closed. Prior to this, the newspaper was defunded in 2019 following their critical publication of news regarding USC’s imposition of tuition fee increases. The USC Office of Student Formation and Activities (OSFA) have also been pushing the TC to register as a “school organization” instead of a campus newspaper.

The Makabayan Bloc’s House Resolution No. 2193 stated that the eviction of the newspaper was not an “isolated incident” especially since other organizations, councils and publications at USC faced similar repression measures.

The resolution also revealed that campus newspapers currently face other challenges in the country such as lack of funds, space, and suppression of critical journalism. It called on the Commission on Higher Education to investigate the incident and ensure the protection of the rights of campus journalists.

The Makabayan Bloc is pushing to strengthen protection for campus newspapers by passing the KPL-proposed Campus Press Freedom Bill, which promotes their rights and autonomy. The proposal is pending in the Technical Working Group of the House Committee for Higher and Technical Education.

“The resolution’s support aligns with the broader campaigns of countering bureaucratic and oppressive systems imposed by universities,” according to CEGP-Cebu. The group added, they are imposed in favor of the commercialized and fascist interests of universities.