HSI Freedom Wall
#DLSMHSI #HSIFreedomWall1667
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF DE LA SALLE MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES INSTITUTE
To: The Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academics, the Office of the President, and the Board of Trustees
Cc: The Brothers of the De La Salle Philippines District and Lasallian leadership
Date: 10/1/2026
Respected leaders of our Institute,
We write with heavy hearts. A member of our student community has died on our campus, in the parking area. We grieve with the family, with the student's classmates and friends, and with every person in the DLSMHSI community who is struggling to make sense of this loss. Out of respect for the family's wishes, we will not speculate on what happened.
The teaching community stands as one with the cries of our students. We write not to assign blame, but to ask for answers, for care, and for a safer campus.
WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS NOT BEEN TOLD
We have been informed that an investigation is underway. We acknowledge this, but nothing more has been shared. The community has not been told who is leading the investigation, who sits on the team, what its scope and timeline are, or whether the proper authorities, including the police, have been notified and are involved. Within a day of the incident, the Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health (ESOH) Department communicated that the area was [exact wording, "safe and clear"], before the community had been told what had happened.
We do not presume to know the facts. We are asking that an investigation affecting the safety of every person on this campus be conducted in a way the community can trust. We have also received no statement from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academics or the Office of the President.
SAFETY CONDITIONS WE CAN ATTEST TO
Faculty, student interns, and students on clinical duty have long observed the following:
- Much of the campus, especially the parking areas and campus extensions, is very dark and dimly lit after 6:00 PM, sometimes no lights at all.
- The parking area is open, with no CCTV coverage and no street lighting reaching it.
- The ground is uneven, with trees, and becomes muddy when it rains, which makes movement there hazardous, especially in the dark.
These are not new concerns, and anyone who works or studies here in the evening can confirm them. We raise them not to pre-judge the cause of this tragedy, but because a campus where students and clinical groups are on site into the evening should be one where they can walk safely.
ON THE USE OF PARKING FEES
Members of our community pay fees to park on campus and reasonably expect the parking area to be safe and maintained. We therefore ask, in good faith, for a public accounting of parking fees collected and how they have been used, including how much has gone to lighting, security personnel, CCTV, and the upkeep of parking areas.
OUR SUGGESTIONS TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND TO THE LASALLIAN BROTHERS
In the spirit of faith, service, and communion in mission, we respectfully offer the following suggestions, and we invite the Brothers and the Board to walk with the Institute in carrying them out:
1. That the Brothers and the governing Board consider encouraging an independent and transparent review of this incident and of campus safety, with findings shared with the community to the extent the family's wishes allow.
2. That the Brothers and the Board consider asking for confirmation that the proper authorities have been notified and are involved.
3. That the Institute's leadership speak directly to the community, not only through departmental notices.
4. That the Institute be guided anew by the Lasallian charism of care for the young, and by the standard of safety and presence that this charism calls us to.
OUR REQUESTS
We respectfully request that the administration, within Five (5) days of the date of this letter:
1. Issue an official statement to the community, to the extent the family permits, confirming the investigation and stating who is leading it, its scope, and its expected timeline.
2. Confirm whether the incident has been reported to the police and other proper authorities, and whether the Institute is cooperating with them. Where an internal review is also being conducted, ensure it is led by or accompanied by persons independent of the offices responsible for campus safety, and share its findings.
3. Install interim measures at once: temporary lighting, additional security personnel at parking areas and campus extensions during evening hours, and temporary or permanent CCTV coverage.
4. Publish an accounting of parking fee collection and use.
5. Form a campus safety committee with student and institutional staff representatives.
6. Provide continuing support to the family, and counseling and care for affected students, faculty, and staff.
IN CLOSING
We write as people who love this Institute and who want it to be a place where every student is safe. We ask for your leadership, and we ask the Lord to give all of us comfort, wisdom, and the courage to do what is right.
Eternal rest grant unto our fellow Lasallian, and may perpetual light shine upon them. Live, Jesus, in our hearts. Forever.
Respectfully,
DLSMHSI Teaching Community