Academic Freedom and the Cavite State University

Students of the Cavite State University were reportedly compelled to attend the forum at which Vice-President Jejomar Binay delivered his "True State of the Nation Address". 

Now, university officials face the ire of Malacanan that demands to know why students were required to be there.

An institution of higher learning is guaranteed academic freedom by the Constitution. Academic freedom includes the liberty to be part of national discourse on current issues. A state university is an instrumentality of the national government with corporate powers.  But the fact that it is subsidized by the State does not dilute its academic freedom. It is precisely subsidized so that it can truly be a center of academic ferment.

What is the whole furor over a university convocation at which the Vice-President of the Republic spoke? Had Abigail Valte been at the rostrum, would there be a fuss now over the presence of the students at the forum?  No, the officials have been asked to explain the presence of the students because it was Binay whom the Palace detests who spoke.

There is nothing more deleterious to academic freedom than to require it to be hospitable to only one party to discourse. That is tantamount to the rejection of discourse that really spells the death of any academic institution.

What the Palace could have reasonably demanded was the opportunity for one of the Administration's spokespersons to address a similar assembly.

Was there anything amiss about requiring the presence of students?  Every state university has activities at which student presence is required, and this will span the whole gamut from lectures to street-dancing. Why should a speech delivered by the Vice-President not warrant the required presence of the student body?

Not too long ago, DOH Secretary Janette Garin took DOH employees to task for having invited the Vice-President to address them. Then I knew how far gone Garin was -- and how grateful for her untimely promotion to the post of DOH Secretary. It was shameless instance of the stifling of political rights. That is the same thing now with the Cavite State University.