Alleged military agents nabbed inside UP campus

Six men believed to be agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were brought by the UP Diliman Police and the university's Special Services Brigade to the Quezon City Police Department for suspicious activities inside the campus on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement issued Thursday, UP Diliman chancellor Michael Tan said the six men were spotted on board two Innovas at two areas--one on Roxas Street near the College of Education building, the other on Regidor Street near the Sunken Garden.

"Our SSN and UP Diliman police were able to question the men and one of them introduced himself as an AFP officer. He refused to divulge any more information and the other five men remain unidentified John Does." Tan said in a statement.

"The UP security personnel accompanied the six men to the Quezon City Police Department and the case is now considered to be under the QCPD," he added.

Tan expressed concern over what appeared to be a violation of an agreement between the Department of National Defense and the university in 1989.

"Our concern is that there has been a violation of a provision in the agreement between the university and the DND requiring prior notification of the university of any military opetraions in any of our campuses. No such request was received by UP Diliman," Tan said.

According to a Facebook post the Philippine Collegian on Wednesday evening, the agents were allegedly doing surveillance work inside the campus.

The Collegian got the information from three eyewitnesses who were members of a workers' group involved in organizing Manilakbayan: Kampuhan sa Diliman.

The event is a solidarity camp starting on October 26. Attendees include 700 Lumads from Mindanao, sectoral groups, students, and faculty.

SPO2 Pedro Walawala of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), in an interview with the Collegian, said that his station took custody of the alleged agents and confirmed that they were on "authorized operation to locate a target who was allegedly on campus." —Trisha Macas/NB, GMA News