Campus editors group hits Villafuerte for mock poll 'attack'

A group of campus editors has criticized Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymond "LRay" Villafuerte for allegedly attacking a school publication after it released mock election results showing him trailing his political rival by a wide margin.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), a nationwide alliance of campus publications, issued a statement on 4 February condemning Villafuerte’s accusations against The Spark, the official student paper of Camarines Sur Polytechnic College (CSPC) Nabua Campus.

Villafuerte claimed the poll, conducted from 1-7 December 2024, was rigged to favor his opponent, Bong Rodriguez of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

The congressman allegedly took issue with the poll results and targeted The Spark associate editor Fernan Matthew Enimedez, citing his past involvement in the Leni-Kiko 2022 electoral campaign.

“The Guild strongly asserts that Villafuerte’s response to the harmless mock polls is a direct attack on CSPC constituents’ freedom of expression and information,” the CEGP said. This vile harassment of student publications reflects a non-isolated issue of censorship that deprives communities of the truth."

“Moreover, his irresponsible blurbs against Enimedez sets a dangerous precedent for self-serving political figures who violently disperse free speech and tolerate a culture of impunity. With the election period fast-approaching, political harassment just loomed large, affecting institutions that expose threats to peaceful and honest elections,” the guild added.

The school editors said the Villafuertes owe the people of Camarines Sur more than what LRay claims they did for CSPC and the province.

“It is the unconditional mandate of elected public officials to secure the welfare of their constituents. These series of attacks only signed off his political ambitions, deprived of genuine concern for his fellow CamSureños,” CEGP further stated.