Fans of collegiate basketball games in the Philippines refused to heed calls of Catholic school administrators to wear black during the games on Oct. 2 to protest drug-related killings in the country.
Instead of black, the colors green and blue dominated the Mall of Asia Arena as fans of both the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University and rival De La Salle University of the De La Salle Brothers wore their school colors.
School administrators of both universities earlier urged their players and fans to wear black or put on black clothing accessories for the match in solidarity with human rights victims.
"[This is] to express our solidarity with victims of human rights violations and with all others struggling to uphold human rights in the country," read a memorandum released by Ateneo de Manila University on Sept. 30.
Father Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, president of the Jesuit university, said the show of solidarity was "in light of the considerable amount of sentiments and convictions" expressed by various sectors on the growing number of "extrajudicial killings/summary executions."
The Lasallian, the official student publication of the De La Salle University of the De La Salle Brothers, also urged those who would be attending the games "to wear black to show solidarity."
The call to wear black also aimed to protest against the plan to bury former dictator Ferdinand Marcos burial at the Heroes' Cemetery in Manila.