The Show Must Go On

Even as Typhoon Inday (Bavi) and a violent southwest monsoon thrashed Pangasinan with severe thunderstorms—compounded by an Intensity I earthquake in the exact same week—PHINMA University of Pangasinan remained unfazed, refusing to dismiss classes or cancel institutional activities. It all unfolded during First Week Hi!, a week-long celebration welcoming students back to campus. Yet, the irony lies in the fact that the administration still chases the success of the event—even if students are already devastated by the typhoon, even if students are crowding into safety, and even if FWH! itself is a disaster—this time, a man-made one.

To start, a malicious threat was received by the institution on the very first day of First Week Hi!. Classes were immediately suspended, and students were prompted to evacuate the area without being given any explanation. While the decision to withhold details to prevent panic is understandable, the execution was deeply ironic. Even without an official announcement regarding the threat, speculation spread like wildfire among students, causing massive confusion about what was actually happening. We were merely instructed to leave the campus. Hence, there was no sense of urgency among the student body because we were completely blind to the severity of the situation. Everyone walked away unharmed, but the same can’t be said for First Week Hi!. The event took a hit on day one, and over the course of the week, it spiraled into a total, unmitigated disaster.

In the middle of the week, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit Tuba, Benguet. Even though the epicenter was far from Pangasinan, an Intensity I tremor was felt through the campus. Students, faculty, and staff immediately scrambled to evacuation areas, piling out onto Nable Street and PHINMA Avenue for safety. Right after, however, everything returned to business as usual. Classes resumed and activities continued, as though a natural disaster hadn't just put everyone at risk. Because this occurred during First Week Hi!, the campus was packed to capacity, student safety should have been the absolute priority. The administration might claim they ran an inspection, but was there any definitive protocol if a secondary, larger quake followed? We shouldn't condition students to believe that because a tremor is minor, the danger has passed justifying the continuation of classes. Ultimately, downplaying disasters is a luxury we can’t afford to have, especially with the horror of 7.8 magnitude that struck Mindanao just recently.

Finally, and undoubtedly the most disastrous of all, the culminating activity was still pushed through even as heavy rains battered the area. On July 10, Dagupan City was the lone city that didn’t announce a suspension of classes among its neighboring municipalities. Yes, local government suspensions are beyond the institution's control, but the university itself had the obligation to dismiss any activities vulnerable to the weather. Instead, the ever-romanticized resiliency of Filipinos during calamities was on full display. Kalutan ed UPang, the tradition of grilling along PHINMA Avenue, was completely ruined by the heavy rain. Students were forced to open umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain. Some rushed to nearby shelters hoping to salvage their grilled food, while others had no choice but to run blindly through the storm. It was, well, successful if the very objective of FWH was to test whether the student body was waterproof.

We cannot predict disasters brought by the ever-changing nature, but hiding behind unpredictability is no excuse.

A proactive approach should have been evident from the start. The administration should have issued an immediate announcement alerting the student body to the security threat, providing a clear directive and a logical reason to evacuate when unverified threats circulate the university. Moreover, classes and activities should have been paused long enough to ensure that every facility was thoroughly inspected during the quake. Furthermore, the weather forecast should have been continuously monitored throughout the week to determine whether to cancel the program entirely or relocate the Kalutan ed UPang to a much safer venue. Tragedy is not a prerequisite for accountability; the council and the institution should stop gambling student safety.

To label FWH a success is an irony wrapped in sugar-coated words; it was merely a show trying to salvage a lost cause.