03 Volume 1, Issue 1, Aug 2019-Jan 2020 FEATURE ALPAS DBTC FREEDOM WALL: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY Ronne Louise Guerrero, Danesel Avellanosa, and Harvey Castillo “Freedom Walls” are Facebook pages where people can share their the proper venues,” added Mr. Roman Torres, the current Vice-Dean for confessions about their certain selves or communities. The confessions Student Affairs. vary from simple love professions and funny stories, to serious issues like Penultimately, upon inspection of the impotant word freedom, Asst. sexual harassment and many others. Prof. Leandro Miguel Quizon, head of the General Education department, With this, other universities and schools opened up their own and graduate of M.A. Literary and Cultural Studies at the Ateneo, has this pages so students can freely express their thoughts, and some of the other as something to say: “all of these begins with how we conceive freedom as a universities which also have their freedom walls include: the Ateneo de concept... if we think that freedom is merely a right and a privilege, then that Manila University (ADMU), the University of Santo Tomas (UST), De La is our mentality on how we operate through [the freedom wall] as virtual Salle University - Manila (DLSU), University of the Philippines - Diliman space. But if we know and we accept the fact that freedom is not just a right, (UPD), and Mapua University amongst others. but a responsibility, then, subconsciously, this responsibility will reflect and Don Bosco Technical College also has a freedom wall named as be reflected on how we associate ourselves with and how we interact in the “DBTC Freedom Wall,” which was created anonymously last March 26, freedom wall.” 2019, having a total number of 2,063 likes and 2,115 followers as of press Finally, Asst. Professor Niccolo Vitug, who is a graduate as well time. Bosconians have been sharing their thoughts through this page, and of the same program and same university as professor Quizon, and who these contain a mixture of innocent confessions to praising or criticizing teaches Ethics amongst others in the college level, intervenes by saying individuals, whether students or personnel from the school. that: “to stop people from speaking out might be a dangerous proposition, although there may be well-intentioned and possibly valid reasons behind DBTC Freedom wall was created on it... so in that place of tension wherein one is not trying to suppress views and March 26, 2019 and has 2,063 likes. opinions, the classroom is a good place to unravel tensions and to process anything that comes out of that tension, so that various sides of an issue can be examined and that compassion alongside critical thought can be fostered. This freedom wall can and/or could’ve either helped the adminis- The DBTC Freedom Wall has been currently active with the last tration to build the school by means of knowing student grievance, while post having been posted, as of press time, last January 20, 2020, regarding at the same time cause unfair premature judgement by means of trial by sentiments on the process of enrolment. The discourse and debate contin- publicity. It is in this regard that one could see how the Freedom Wall be- ues as to how one engages with the Freedom Wall without curtailing what comes a double-edged sword, able to help both students and administra- constitutes free speech, yet at the same time protecting specific personal- tion, while at the same time admittedly cause harm as well. ities who may be subjected to trial by publicity being adjudicated guilty “Freedom Wall is an essential page for me para makapag-express ang until or unless proven innocence. mga students, professors, school personnel, and kung sino pa. It has like a function to vent out anything. From small crushes to severe issues, [and the Whatever the case, the point of the matter is clear: it seems as if upside is that these are not relatively] filtered,” said Crispin Manuel Jr., a se- the DBTC Freedom Wall is here to stay, and as the famous adage from nior architecture student. Uncle Ben in the Spiderman series maintains: with great power comes great responsibility. The DBTC Freedom Wall, as with any double-edged sword, “Everyone is entitled [of] their own opinion. But we should know the gives students great power that can and must be used. Used with care, and difference between opinions and facts. Whenever we talk of freedom wall, we responsible discretion, at least. are referring to random opinions. But if we [really] want our opinions to be heard by proper authorities, [then] we should course [our opinions] through Illustrated by Andreane Panes