DND, UP officials meet to discuss termination of 1989 accord

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo Concepcion on Thursday met to discuss the Department of National Defense (DND)’s unilateral termination of their 1989 accord.

The dialogue was initiated by Commission on Higher Education chairman Prospero De Vera III in Quezon City.

“The dialogue afforded the key leaders the opportunity to discuss the way forward and possible areas of cooperation on how both institutions can promote their mutual aspirations to ensure a safe and secure environment conducive to learning,” the parties said in a joint statement.

UP and DND also agreed to subsequent meetings to continue their talks.

“I am happy to bring together UP and DND so that both sides can have an open and frank exchange of views over a wide range of issues related to the accord,” De Vera said.

In an ambush interview, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said the meeting was “cordial.”

“Sa pag-uusap na iyon nagkaroon sila ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng paliwanagan, ano, ng discussion. And pinag-usapan nila ‘yung way forward and that way forward is patuloy na pag-uusap at engagement para makita ano ba ang puwedeng ma-develop,” Arevalo said.

“But ang importante, nagkaroon sila ng pagkakatoon na magkita, magkaharap, magkausap, at magkaroon ng palitan ng kuro-kuro hinggil doon sa nangyaring abrogation,” he added.

The DND abrogated last month a decades-old pact with UP that prevented state forces from freely entering the campus without prior coordination, claiming that UP campuses were recruitment spots for communist and rebel groups. 

The termination of the agreement was denounced as “totally unnecessary and unwarranted” by Concepcion. 

The Senate later adopted a resolution urging UP and the DND to discuss the accord to protect academic freedom. 

Bills seeking to institutionalize the pact in the UP charter as well as in all other academic institutions have been filed in both houses of Congress.  -NB, GMA News