MANILA — Two students of a locally funded public university in Cabuyao, Laguna were barred from graduating for their involvement in a Facebook page critical of the school's administration, a sanction that was later overturned.

Pamantasan ng Cabuyao (PNC) graduating students Jomar Aquino and Joshwell Decena took to social media to air their sentiments through now-viral posts.

Aquino said he had been prohibited from attending his graduation rites on June 26 because he was a manager of "PNC Secret Files," a freedom wall-type Facebook page that published content critical of the PNC leadership.

"Lahat ng saloobin ng estudyante at staff ng PNC ay nilabas nila through that [page] dahil wala po silang lakas ng loob at kakayahan na tumindig. Dahil sa mga rants ng estudyante inalam nila ang mga admin at di pina-graduate," he told ABS-CBN News.

(PNC students and staff aired their grievances through that page because they were too scared to take a stand. Because of the students' rants, the leadership tracked down the page's admins and barred them from graduating.)

He also slammed the university for allegedly curtailing their freedom of speech.

"Walang puwang ang malayang [pamamahayag] sa isang unibersidad na kagaya ng PNC," he said.

(Free speech has no space in a university like PNC.)

In another post, Decena wrote that he was sanctioned with "permanent dismissal" from the PNC due to his involvement with "PNC Secret Files."

"Inutusan din nila ako mag public video apology sa Facebook account ko, ngunit hindi pa sila natuwa sa mga naging kumento sa video ko, kase nag-backfire daw sa kanila," he wrote.

(I was told to make a public apology video on my Facebook account. But they still weren't satisfied because the comments in the video backfired on them.)

"The sanction of a three-month suspension, coupled with the inability to attend and march on my graduation, weighs heavily on my conscience. Napakababaw. Nakapatay ba ako ng tao?" he wrote in his own post.

(It's so shallow. Did I even kill someone?)

"At the end of the day, estudyante pa rin po kami ng pamantasan, at may matibay na karapatang magtamasa ng ganitong uri ng karangalan," he said.

(At the end of the day, we are still students of this university, and we have a right to enjoy the honor of graduating.)

PNC RESPONSE

Amid criticisms, PNC's Board of Regents on Thursday evening overturned its sanctions on Aquino and Decena after it "thoroughly assessed and reviewed the situation."

In a resolution, the board—headed by its chairman Cabuyao Mayor Dennis Hain—allowed Aquino to join his graduation ceremony, while it commuted Decena's permanent dismissal to a suspension that ended Thursday.

The university also allowed Decena to take special examinations and complete his academic requirements.

"Should [Decena] successfully fulfill all his academic requirements before the graduation date, June 26, 2023, he shall be allowed to participate in the Commencement Exercises without any further penalties," the Board of Regents' decision read.

The board added that it reviewed Aquino and Decena's case with the aim of "ensuring equal opportunities for all graduating students while upholding integrity and the institution's standards."