Filtered By: Topstories
News

Lorenzana claims UP-DND accord abrogation a ‘patriotic duty’


Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday defended the Department of National Defense's unilateral abrogation of its agreement with the University of the Philippines (UP), claiming it was a "patriotic duty."

In a video message posted via social media, Lorenzana said he was prompted to abrogate the accord given the "numerous testimonies" and "grueling experiences" reported to him by former rebels, but he did not elaborate. He has also yet to present to the public such supposed testimonies.

"Abrogating the DND agreement with UP is a fulfillment of a patriotic duty. Even though it is an unpopular move, my intentions are pure. My goal is simple -- to minimize the threat to the youth," he said.

"Some of you may see this as a rash decision, but the numerous testimonies and grueling experiences presented to me by former rebels prompted me to issue this. I personally bore witness to the atrocities committed by the communist terrorists against our people," he added.

Lorenzana's defense of the unilateral abrogation UP-DND accord comes even as there are no face-to-face classes held in most academic institutions given lockdown restrictions brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

"They prey on our children's idealism and vulnerability, even costing them their own lives. I have been fighting for this country all my life as a soldier. Our problem with the CPP-NPA has been with us for 52 years. Help me fix this. Let us talk and find ways to end this insurgency once and for all. Let us work together and move forward," he said Sunday.

In a letter dated January 15, 2021, Lorenzana informed UP president Danilo Concepcion of the DND's decision to end the agreement, citing information that communists are recruiting students inside campuses of the state university.

"In pursuit of true national peace and development, it is time to terminate or abrogate the existing agreement with the end view if protecting and securing the institution and youth against the enemies of the Filipino people without sacrificing the freedoms we have preserved for about 30 years since the agreement was executed," he said in the letter.

The accord, first hatched under the first Aquino administration in June 1989, provided that the military and the police were prohibited from entering the premises of any UP campus or its regional units without prior notice to the university's administration.

READ: How the UP-DND accord came to be

For his part, Concepcion expressed concern over the DND decision, saying it was unnecessary and unwarranted, noting that it could adversely affect the relations between the agency and the university.

"Instead of instilling confidence in our police and military, your decision can only sow more confusion and mistrust, given that you have not specified what it is that you exactly aim to do or put in place in lieu of the protections and courtesies afforded by the agreement," he said.

"Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to emphasize that we sought and secured that agreement not to evade or weaken the law, but to protect the climate of academic freedom—guaranteed by the Constitution—that makes intellectual inquiry and human and social advancement possible," he added.

Concepcion also maintained that the university does not condone sedition, armed insurrection, or the use of the violation for political ends, but remains as a safe haven for all.

"We want to maintain UP as a safe haven for all beliefs and forms of democratic expression. In that, all the signatories to the agreement believed and bound themselves to uphold," he said.

Several Senators—Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros-Baraquel, Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, Ralph Recto, Leila de Lima, and Franklin Drilon—have also expressed opposition to the unilateral termination of the agreement.

Senator Emmanuel Joel Villanueva has also filed a bill seeking to institutionalize the agreement between the two parties. It is co-authored by Senators Binay, Grace Poe-Llamanzares, and Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, all alumni of the university. — BM, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT