UP president denies allowing entry of police, military to campuses

University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo Concepcion on Thursday belied Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s claim that he agreed to allow policemen and soldiers to enter UP campuses to stop communists from recruiting students.

Dela Rosa was earlier quoted as telling Senate reporters that Concepcion agreed to the entry of police and the military into UP campuses. 

“The president of UP nag-agree sa atin na okay sila na pumasok ang mga pulis at sundalo, lahat ng university president, okay sila na bigyan ng tsansa ang mga pulis at sundalo na mag-recruit,” he told reporters.

“Sa situation right now ang libre lang mag-recruit sa kanilang campus ay ang kaliwa, it’s unfair,” he added.

But In a statement, Concepcion said no such agreement was made.

“I categorically deny that I agreed to allow the military and police to enter any University of the Philippines campus or property without coordination with the UP administration and UP Police,” Concepcion said.

Last August, UP students staged a protest against alleged military intrusion of their campuses.

Professors from various universities also decried the proposal to increase police and military presence in campuses nationwide. 

Dela Rosa previously filed Senate Committee Report No. 10 that sought a probe on the missing minors who were allegedly recruited by leftist groups.

The report branded communist groups’ recruitment of youth members a “social plague.”

“It becomes imperative for the government to intensify its remedial and interventional measures in order to finally put an end to this reprehensible cycle of deceptive recruitment of the student sector,” the report read.

Academic freedom

In his statement, Concepcion reaffirmed UP’s adherence to the law but stressed the need to protect academic freedom.

“As the national university, UP will continue to cooperate fully and openly with government authorities, all in full cognizance of the balancing act between public safety and academic freedom,” he said.

Dela Rosa also claimed that 90% of UP students are still pro-government.

“Halimbawa 100% of university students ng UP, ilan lang diyan ang gustong magkomunista. Oh, being communist is not illegal, bahala ka magkomunista ka punta ka, pero siguro mga 10% lang pinakamalaki,” the senator said, although he cited no source for his data.

“Meron pa rin 90% na maka-gobyerno at itong mga bata na ito they are being deprived of a chance to be closer to the government, dahil binabawalan pumasok ang mga pulis o sundalo.” — RSJ, GMA News