Diliman Commune

The Diliman Commune was a nine-day uprising led by the students, faculty members, and residents of the University of the Philippines Diliman, on February 1–9, 1971 — about a year after the events of the First Quarter Storm and about a year before Marcos' eventual declaration of Martial Law. It began as a planned protest through which the UP community and transport workers would denounce a three centavo increase in oil prices under the administration of Marcos. However, this changed when violence marred the proceedings on the first day of the protest, resulting in the wounding and eventual death of Chemistry student Pastor "Sonny" Mesina, after which the Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command attempted to storm the campus and suppress the protest. After this, the demands of the protests shifted from focusing on stopping oil price increase and instead became more about the end of the use of military force in the campus.

Diliman Commune
Date	February 1–9, 1971
Location	Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 14°39′17.50″N 121°3′52.09″E
Caused by	Initial: Gasoline price increases. After Day 1: Death of Pastor Mesina, and attempted PC Metrocom assault on the campus.
Goals	Reverse the price increase; and stop the military intrusion in UP Diliman
Methods	Protests, demonstrations, occupation
Resulted in	During the uprising: Arrest of students and protesters, destruction of UP Diliman properties; End of the uprising: Voluntary end of uprising by students on February 9, supposedly after assurances of various concessions; Eventual: Declaration of martial law the following year, 1972.
Parties
Diliman Commune Kabataang Makabayan Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK) Protesting students Faculty members UP Diliman residents Transport workers UP Diliman University Student Council The Philippine Collegian DZUP Fraternities Upsilon Sigma Phi Sigma Rho Alpha Phi Beta Marcos Government Armed Forces of the Philippines Philippine Constabulary
Lead figures
Salvador P. Lopez Armando Malay Bonifacio Ilagan Antonio Hilario Ericson Baculinao Antonio Tagamolila Ferdinand Marcos Juan Ponce Enrile Manuel Yan Eduardo M. Garcia
Number
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
1 student

The occupation ended on February 9 when students took down the barricades voluntarily, believing that the administration had conceded to eight demands which included a rollback of gasoline prices, a promise of justice for Sonny Mesina, and a guarantee that the military or police would not enter the campus in the future.

The name was a reference to an intentional community established by the protesters patterned after the Paris Commune of 1871. Like the supporters of Paris Commune, the protesters referred to themselves as Communards. They renamed the University of the Philippines Diliman campus to "Malayang Komunidad ng UP Diliman" ("Free Commune of UP Diliman"). They also took control of the DZUP radio station and the UP Press, and ran their own publication called the Bandilang Pula ("Red Flag").

Notable participants

• Pastor "Sonny" Mesina
• Herminio Coloma Jr.
• Willie Nepomuceno
• Salvador Panelo
• Zeus A. Salazar
• Romeo Candazo
• Carol Araullo
• Dante V. Liban
• College of Arts and Sciences Dean Cesar Abdul Majul

See also

• University of the Philippines Diliman
• Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos
• First Quarter Storm

External links

• Bandilang Pula — An archive of Bandilang Pula, the newspaper of the Diliman Commune on the Marxists Internet Archive.