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Karapatan: Duterte warning vs state university students violates right to free education


A human rights group criticized President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday over his warning to students of state-run schools that they may lose their scholarships if they support communist rebels.

Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay said the right to free education should be applicable to all students without consideration of their political alignments.

"Free education is a right that should be accorded regardless of one's political beliefs, affiliations, religion," Palabay said in a text message to GMA News Online.

On Wednesday, Duterte said students who show overt acts of support for the communist rebels that aim to overthrow the government will be considered as his "enemy."

"If they espouse [support against] the very government feeding food on their mouth, they will lose that," Duterte said when asked about scholarships of student-activists in state universities.

"If you go and say, 'let us go out, join the NPAs, support the NPAs, give food to the NPAs, money to the NPAs,' then you espouse the destruction of the duly constituted government," he added.

Palabay, however, said the remarks of Duterte "indicate ignorance of the basic rights and fundamental freedoms under the Philippine Constitution and international human rights mechanisms."

National Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema had asked the President to issue an executive order removing the scholarships of "all rebellious anti-government scholars" particularly those allied with communist rebels who have been involved in the killing of troops.

His proposal has drawn criticisms from various student groups and other government officials, branding it as an affront to freedom of expression and right to peaceably assemble. —LDF, GMA News

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