Makabayan bloc calls on House to uphold UP-DND pact

The Makabayan bloc on Wednesday filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to express its sense to uphold the 1989 pact between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of National Defense (DND) which the latter unilaterally terminated.

Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago led the filing of the resolution, which also seeks to express the sense of the chamber to uphold the academic freedom of all education institutions aside from UP.

LOOK: Makabayan Bloc files resolution expressing the sense of the House to uphold the UP-DND Accord and academic freedom of all educational institutions @gmanews pic.twitter.com/drjFfX2e7P

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) January 20, 2021

The UP-DND Accord essentially prohibits entry of police and military forces into the various UP campuses without prior consultation to its officials.

Its unilateral abrogation, the resolution read, "is an affront to civilian institutions and alarming as it could lead again to extensive campus militarization and brazen attacks on human rights."

"The looming militarization of campuses nationwide undermine academic freedom, and threaten the right to life, liberty, and security and freedoms of speech, of expression, and of peaceful assembly," it said.

"Schools should be safe spaces and zones of peace that are free from police and military presence and intervention, harassment, and intimidation," it added.

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.

Duterte Youth party-list Representative Ducielle Cardema, on the other hand, said that aside from the UP-DND Accord, the DND should also cancel a similar agreement with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, saying that these two pacts give "special treatment" to only two universities in the country.

But Elago denied that the UP-DND and PUP-DND Accords give special treatment to these higher education institutions.

"Hindi ito special treatment kundi mga hard-fought agreement para tiyakin na walang paglabag sa karapatang pantao at hindi na mauulit muli 'yung mga abuso ng authorities sa loob ng ating pamantasan," she said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Elago also sounded alarm to the possibility of surveillance, threat, harassment, and intimidation to the members of the UP community if the UP-DND Accord is left terminated.

"Tinututulan natin ang mga move na ito para i-discredit 'yung victory na nagtulak sa pagkakaroon ng UP-DND Accord gayundin ang PUP-DND Accord na ngayon ay nasa threat din ng pagbabasura dahil sa mga atake doon sa kalayaang pang-akademiko sa ating mga pamantasan," she said.

Apart from this resolution, Albay Representative Edcel Lagman has also filed a separate resolution urging a House investigation into the unilateral abrogation of the UP-DND Accord.

Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor and Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez have also called on the DND to reconsider its termination of the agreement.

UP president Danilo Concepcion, meanwhile, said that termination of the UP-DND Accord was "totally unnecessary and unwarranted," and may only taint the relations between the two institutions.

He also maintained that they do not condone sedition, armed insurrection, or the use of violence for political ends.—AOL, GMA News