Duterte to PUP students allegedly recruited by NPA: You want to be killed in the process? Go ahead

President Rodrigo Duterte has issued a warning to students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines amid reports of communist recruitment in schools.

Duterte fielded questions from the media on Tuesday evening, including whether communist recruitment was a factor in his decision to veto the bill that will grant the PUP a national polytechnic university status.

While he did not answer the question, Duterte talked about the potential consequences of joining the communist rebels seeking to overthrow the government.

“You want something of an adventure and be killed in the process, you want your young mind to be swayed to the world of violence, iwanan mo ang pamilya mo, go ahead. Go ahead,” Duterte told reporters in Malacañang.

“You want to go to the mountains, demand, extort food? Go ahead. Gusto ninyong may galit kayo sa mundo kasi ganyan kayo at 'yung iba meron, ikaw wala? Eh, hindi na kasalanan ng gobyerno. Kasalanan ng magulang ninyo 'yan.”

Duterte said the government can close down PUP, which the military claimed as one of the recruitment hotbeds for communist organizations.

He also said that the police and military can use violent force against the students turned rebels.

“Kayo diyan ‘yang puwede nating sarahan 'yang PUP. Wala akong pakialam sa kanila. Go ahead. Then maghanap kayo ng armas, 'pag makita kayo ng sundalo o pulis, ang order ko nga dead or alive. Patayin mo. O gusto mong patayin 'yang pulis, sige patayin mo kasi I'm recruiting 20,000 again now. 'Yun ang makaharap ninyo,” he said.

On September 4, Duterte vetoed the bill which sought to grant PUP institutional and fiscal autonomy, similar to what the University of the Philippines enjoys.

In his veto message, the President told Congress that the proposal to make PUP a national polytechnic university “needs to be reassessed in light of its current performance ranking among other SUCs.”

He added that the performance of PUP’s satellite campuses and extension programs need to be evaluated as well.

“The proposed provision on appropriations would also have a significant fiscal impact on the government, which may be avoided only if the PUP budget would continue to be subject to the need for prioritization and the usual budgetary and monitoring processes,” Duterte said.

GMA News Online reached out to PUP Student Regent Ron Cervantes and Anakbayan PUP chairperson Frankie Mangulabnan for their comments on the matter but both have yet to reply as of posting time. 

Founded in 1904, the PUP has more than 20 campuses serving more than 70,000 students, making it the largest state university in the Philippines in terms of student population. Its main campus is located in Sta. Mesa, Manila. — with Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA News