House solons denounce unilateral abrogation of UP-DND accord

Lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Tuesday denounced the Department of National Defense's (DND) unilateral abrogation of its 31-year-old agreement with the University of the Philippines (UP) prohibiting entry of military and police forces into the university without first informing its officials.

In a statement, Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago said the Defense Department's termination of the UP-DND Accord only shows the "blatant disregard" for the victory of the students against campus militarization and fascist dictatorship three decades ago.

"This brazen step signals intensified attacks on academic freedom and increasing violations of human rights of students, teachers and education stakeholders amid the Duterte regime's tyranny," she said.

"For education institutions to fulfill their significant role in upholding human rights and democracy, they must be protected from ruling regimes' undue pressures and dictates. Defend academic freedom and uphold the autonomy of our institutions of learning!" she added.

Obsolete

In his letter informing UP of their decision to end the accord, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana cited information that communist rebels are supposedly recruiting students inside the campus.

He argued that the accord hinders the DND in providing "effective security, safety and welfare" of the students, faculty, and employees of UP.

He also said that the agreement was already obsolete as times and circumstances have changed since it was signed in 1989.

But Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate believes the abrogation of the UP-DND Accord is yet again a continuation of the Duterte administration's crackdown against independent thinkers and critics of its policies.

He pointed out the agreement was, in fact, sealed in more than 30 years ago to prevent "the militarization of an institution where ideas are supposed to flow freely."

"UP is known for its openness to ideas and debates as well as academic freedom, these are the ideals that the DND are trying to suppress by unilaterally abrogating the accord. Indeed, for fascism, academic freedom is an anathema" Zarate said.

"Obviously these militarists do not want the UP system to be the venue of critical thinking, even protest actions that they can readily suppress and attack," he added.

He also said that basic due process should have been observed in terminating the pact, instead of being dictated solely by the DND.

Surveillance on teachers, sutdents

Meanwhile, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro said the termination of the UP-DND Accord would also mean that military and police forces can also surveil teachers and students.

"This is clearly an attempt to further sow fear, intensify the attacks on academic freedom and threaten the rights of teachers and students by the Duterte administration," she said.

Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas, who herself resides in the communities inside the UP campus in Diliman, Quezon City, urged the military to focus the deployment of its troops in the West Philippine Sea rather than to the university.

"Communities inside UP would also not feel safe with state forces patrolling the campus, especially as they are implicated in several cases of police brutality and excessive use of force. UP has its own police, so the DND should stay out of the campus," she said.

'More harm than good'

For his part, Muntinlupa City Representative Ruffy Biazon said the abrogation of the UP-DND Accord may do more harm than good, adding that it will "give a sense of academic freedom being under siege."

"The DND should reconsider its decision and instead enter into a dialogue with the UP leadership and community to come to terms to a joint approach in countering the recruitment of the youth to the armed struggle, while at the same time maintaining the university as a haven for academic freedom, critical thinking, and ideological debate," he said.

UP President Danilo Concepcion, in his response to the DND, also urged them to reconsider and revoke its termination of the accord, saying that it is "totally unnecessary and unwarranted," and may only taint the relations between the two institutions.

"Our police and military authorities should have no fear of academic freedom. Indeed UP has bred rebels and nonconformists—as well as it has bred presidents, senators, congressmen, and business, civic, and even military leaders. All the world’s great universities have produced the same range of thinkers and doers," Concepcion said.

"By and large, intellectual and political dissidents in UP have always been in the minority, but it is a critical minority that has historically been vital to the maintenance of a healthy democracy," he added. — RSJ, GMA News