Netizens Draws Flak for Spreading Unfounded Allegations on DLSU

A certain Richard Camarinta Dy on Facebook came under fire for posting yesterday a screenshot of a message stating that Lasallians who joined the mobilization last November 30 “were forced to attend” and “if they stay till late at night, the Prof. will give additional points.” The post was taken down around noon today, December 2, but Dy reposted it shortly before 3 pm.

Screenshot of message allegedly sent to Dy’s inbox, which made rounds on Facebook.

DLSU was part of the De La Salle Philippines contingent which convened at La Salle Green Hills and marched to the People Power Monument on Wednesday, November 30, for the Siklab Bayan rally.

The message, which Dy claims was sent to his inbox, is in a blue chat box and bears the blue circle with a check on the lower right side, which according to Facebook means that the message of the owner (Dy, in this case) has been sent.

While many netizens appeared to be duped by the post, several Lasallians came to the defense of the University. DLSU’s Center for Social Action and Concern (COSCA) also released a statement today, in response to the viral post.

“There is no truth to such allegations,” reads the statement, which also reveals that the University is already discussing possible actions against those spreading the malicious post.

On accuracy of claims

The National Service Training Program (NSTP) is a required component all DLSU students must undertake pursuant to Republic Act No. 9163.

NSTP101 (NSTP general orientation), offered every first term of the academic year, is a mandatory prerequisite course DLSU students must complete before being eligible to enroll in any of the program’s three variations. After attending the general orientation, students may then enroll to NSTP-01 and NSTP-02, typically taken on the second and third terms of the year, respectively. This year’s NSTP101 general orientation was held on October 8, and a make-up session was held last November 26.

It is also important to note that NSTP101 does not bear any units, while NSTP-01 and NSTP-02 are equivalent to three non-academic units each. However, the grades obtained by students from these courses do not affect their grade point average.

Additionally, professors are not in charge of holding or managing NSTP sessions, dissimilar to the claims of the alleged message. COSCA is the primary office behind the University’s NSTP thrusts. Moreover, leaders from the University’s partner organizations and partner communities are typically the ones who give the students their grades.

Next steps

Dy’s Facebook profile, which has more than 16,000 followers on Facebook as of press time, has also removed in addition to the post traces of employment record which previously stated that he works as a regional coordinator for the office of Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos. It has since been changed to reflect him working at “Millionaires Business Club.”

Meanwhile, the next step to be taken by the University regarding this issue remains to be seen.