Palawan State University (PalawanSU) clarified in a statement that eight students who missed their midterm exams after wearing black for a Martial Law commemoration were allowed to take them the following day.
The university had approved a request from the University Student Government to let students wear black on September 21. PalawanSU said the request reached the administration at 8:52 p.m. the night before, and a memorandum approving it was issued at 10:47 a.m. on Monday.
By then, exams had begun and some faculty members had allegedly not yet seen the memorandum and applied the dress code policy to eight students.
PalawanSU said the matter was resolved once the faculty members learned of the approval.
The PalawanSU Communication Society organized “Demdemen 2026” to mark the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.
The event at the College of Arts and Humanities included paintings, documentaries, interviews with Martial Law victims, and a freedom wall with information about the period.
Communication students Blair Guanzon, Aria Greta, Lovie May Ubay, and Sabine Salvador also made an effigy about press freedom during Martial Law.
The university said it supported the students’ activity and their “right to free speech and expression.”
