UP honors slain volunteers Chad Booc, Kevin Castro as ‘among best of our teachers’

As it condemned their killing, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) honored volunteer educators Chad Booc and Kevin Castro as “among the best of our students and the best of our teachers.”

“Chad and Kevin were volunteer teachers and non-combatants when they were killed and tagged as terrorists by the forces of the military. …Through the years of continuous harassment and intimidation, castigation and arrest, they had continued on this road less travelled by – to teach and learn with the masses, to believe in justice and education for all,” said the statement from the UPD Office of the Chancellor Executive Staff led by Chancellor Fidel Nemezo and composed of vice chancellors, university registrar and director of the UPD Information Office.

The university officials reiterated their commitment to protect the sanctity of its schools “from the perversity of baseless red-tagging and military violence.”

“We will continue to protect our constitutional rights and to defend academic freedom,” they said.

Booc graduated cum laude from the UPD College of Engineering.  Castro was former chairperson of the UPD College of Education Student Council.

A volunteer community teacher in Quezon province, Castro was killed last February 21.  Booc together with fellow volunteer teacher Gelejurain Ngujo II and three others were killed in an alleged encounter with the military in New Bataan, Davao de Oro on February 24.

“…The only act they had committed was to live the life of Iskolarpara sa Bayan: to pursue, not career or prestige, but the noblest vision of a better nation through education and empowerment of underprivileged communities,” UPD said.—LDF, GMA News