University of the Philippines Mindanao student leaders walked out of the TAGBO 2025 forum, a leadership training, on October 26. They condemned the participation of Arian Ramos, a traitor to the revolutionary movement and one of the most notorious defenders of the NTF-Elcac and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Ramos, along with her fellow traitors, leads the Red-tagging of legitimate student organizations and their leaders. A certain Waldy Puyod, a university alumnus invited by the administration as a speaker for the day, brought Ramos. Worse, Ramos arrived with a bodyguard and intelligence agent, which terrorized and dismayed the students participating in the forum.

The university’s Council of Student Leaders (CSL) praised the students’ walkout.

“Their collective action was a clear and courageous proactive measure to display rejection of the harmful narratives and a firm assertion that UP Mindanao students will never tolerate any form of red-tagging under any guise,” the CSL stated.

They also denounced the UP Mindanao administration for allowing the incident, saying it was not an “isolated” case. They described it as a reflection of the “institutional weaknesses” they had long criticized in their 11-Point UP Mindanao Student Demands.

“The event directly contradicts the campaigns that are being pushed forward to call for transparency from the administration, the protection of academic freedom, and the guarantee of safe and inclusive student spaces,” the student leaders said. They condemned and held the administration accountable for its lack of consultation and secrecy regarding the invited speakers. The intimidation committed by these speakers was a serious breach of the students’ safety and trust.

“The Council of Student Leaders stands firm that no student should ever be placed in a situation where their identity, activism, or commitment to serve the people is framed as a threat,” it said.

More than 30 student organizations of UP Mindanao signed the statement.