No such thing as the militarization of campuses – Albayalde

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday denied that schools and universities were being militarized, despite the presence of police officers and soldiers in campuses.

At a press conference, Albayalde said activist groups were the ones who claimed that there was such a thing as militarization. 

“This is misunderstood... medyo over-reaction naman siguro ang mga militanteng grupo dito. There is no such thing as militarization of a campus,” argued Albayalde. 

“Kami, until now, hindi naman po kami basta-basta pumapasok sa campus ng may campus kung wala kaming coordination at business sa school na ‘yun.”

However, Albayalde conceded that the presence of security forces in schools and universities was to “prevent massive recruitment and massive radicalization of innocent students.”

“Very vulnerable ‘yung ating mga estudyante especially those that came from far-flung areas, mga provinces,” Albayalde claimed. 

Earlier, students and faculty of the University of the Philippines staged a protest during which they voiced their opposition to the supposed intrusion of policemen and soldiers in various campuses. 

It was Senator Ronald dela Rosa, himself a former PNP chief, who had suggested sending in police officers and servicemen into campuses to indoctrinate students. 

Albayalde, meanwhile, vowed that authorities would respect the freedoms of assembly and expression of those who would want to stage protests.

“We have no problem with student activism so long as it is expressed through actions within the ambit of the law,” said the PNP chief. — DVM, GMA News