Sometime in January of 2019, I was on my way home from school, and like most days, I found myself jam-packed on the bus, sitting by the aisle on the right. The air was cold but mundane, like all other commute rides I have been on until suddenly I felt something stroking the side of my hip. Confused by what was going on, I brushed it off, thinking that the man sitting next to me was just grabbing something from his bag. Still, it persisted until he uttered “Para!” and moved on with his life while I sat on the edge of my seat, to this day, still haunted by that memory since—that was the night I was sexually assaulted for the first time. 

While it may appear easy to say, “Why didn’t you say or do something?”, it seems like a completely different experience being in that situation yourself. At that time, I was left utterly speechless; I didn’t know what to do, what to say, or how to get out. All I knew was I wanted to scream “Stop!” but I couldn’t because I was afraid. Afraid of what was going on but more so afraid of causing a scene. 

After that encounter, it still baffles me how another person was capable of doing that to a seventeen-year-old senior high school girl just wearing her PE uniform with a shirt saying “ATENEO” on her bus ride home. On the other hand, others might argue that some have had worse experiences but it is through instances like this that begs the question, do safe spaces still even exist?

Of course, the answer to this question is yes. They do. Many consider their homes to be safe, their relationships to be a source of security, and even their schools to be somewhere assured of protection. But the problem lies in why aren’t all spaces safer.

At the end of November last year, several female students braved and came out with their stories of sexual assault and abuse that they’ve experienced from fellow male students from the university. Expectedly, this caused a riot, especially online. Receipts were uncovered, personal anecdotes to support certain sides were claimed, and statements were posted. Discussions revolving around this topic buzzed and extended outside the echo chambers of social media. Everywhere I went, no matter who I was with, these topics were always brought up in one way or another. It wasn’t just the talk of the campus, it extended beyond that, and for obvious reasons, Ateneo de Naga University (AdNU) is not new to these kinds of issues. 

Throughout the years, there have been similar cases that have made their way towards the public audience. When these recent issues boomed, I couldn’t help but recall the beginning of the pandemic when a similar issue involving a previous senior high school student was revealed to be a perpetrator of sexual abuse, with many of his victims unveiling proof and screenshots of the allegations, all of which spread like wildfire on Twitter. The talk about this problem spawned various other posts including edits and memes denouncing the offender for his vile actions and words. 

Perhaps for the sake of understanding what could have been the reason for these malicious wrongdoings, this topic was somehow brought up in our Introduction to Psychology class. One of my classmates asked something about this issue which our professor was already aware of and she replied by saying something along the lines of “There could’ve been a better way to address the issue without using social media”. This made me think if what she said was right. Frankly, there is, indeed, truth to her statement. Without having used social media, this entire debacle might have been settled legally with other necessary interventions, where the involved students and the institution might have not been exposed as much and the scrutiny and damage might have been controlled.

Still, I am more inclined to think otherwise. Social media, despite its lapses, is a powerful vessel for bringing forth the truth and initiating proactive change. In the absence of existing safe spaces, individuals may be able to cultivate a safe space of their own through the platform and audience they have online, reaching a larger demographic and enabling pressing issues to be addressed or, at the very least, talked about, regardless if it were to cause a scene.

Matters have been taken into their own hands when students and organizations have been making testimonies condemning the actions of the perpetrators and commending the victims for speaking up, knowing the difficulties. 

Although a different concern, something similar has also occurred recently where a number of AdNU student leaders, activists, and journalists have been red-tagged, receiving unsolicited invites, calls, and harassment from armed personnel. These plights made the publication release two statements so far, calling the attention of the institution to protect its students. Meanwhile from the other end, radio silence.

The emergence and resurfacing of the likes of these prompt a larger debate over what the university is doing about the circumstances—because, in more ways than one, this concerns the entire institution. When problems like these have been coming to light back and forth where the integral safety of students is shaken, wouldn’t a statement from the administration be the bare minimum? Unfortunately, even the bare minimum is nowhere to be seen.

In a university where one of the core values is being men and women for and with others, who have courses dedicated to holistic formation purposes, and whose entire legacy is to serve those in need and to progressively nurture young minds to do what is for the greater glory, do all of these still ring true or are they merely a vision built up to protect the pristine image Ateneo is so terrified to ruin? Alas, other terrifying things are happening as we speak.

These are not just superficial problems that people suddenly decided to nitpick on, these are actual stories and truths that students from this very university have had and still live through. To say that these realities are troubling is an understatement beyond great disbelief. The “buzz” surrounding these concerns will never truly go away, it will always linger just like how it had in the past, unless something is actively and collectively done about it.

Everywhere could be safer. AdNU could be safer. 

All spaces should be safe spaces.