Activism is not a crime. Speaking the truth must never be trampled on. So, as our freedom is attacked, we will continue to resist.
Last January 15, Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza addressed a letter to UP President Danilo Conception unilaterally abrogating the 1989 accord between the Department of National Defense (DND) and the University of the Philippines (UP) which prohibits the state forces to enter campus premises without prior notifications to UP officials. The letter does not only contain a statement stating the termination of the accord but also unsubstantiated statements that UP is a recruiting ground for the NPAs. It also claimed that the accord serves as a hindrance in providing safety, security, and welfare among UP constituents, which is certainly an empty assertion.
The accord which was signed on June 30, 1989, provides a safeguard to all UP constituents from all forms of abuse and recognizes the university’s rights to uphold academic freedom, freedom of speech, and civic duties. Thus, as the accord is terminated, state forces will then have the power to pose threat and intimidate the university. It will make the university vulnerable to state attacks and various forms of human rights violations. This blatant disrespect of the government to educational institutions poses dangers not only to UP students and constituents but also to every person that has been red-tagged by this administration. With the accord’s termination and the implementation of Anti-Terror Law, the lives of individuals who continue to fight for their rights and freedoms will be at risk as they may be subjected to extrajudicial processes that the state forces take in their so-called anti-terrorism campaigns.
This abrogation is a clear message that the Duterte administration is taking its brand of fascism inside the academic spaces through campus militarization. They aim to silence anyone who opposes them. We have seen how this regime has persecuted the critics and truthseekers which will become more rampant if the state forces militarize our campuses. It poses threat not only to the UP community but also to vulnerable sectors that UP welcomed in its campuses such as national minorities, urban poor communities, workers, and farmers. The abrogation will sow more fear and danger to anyone who already experienced harassment and intimidation from police forces and to those who are seeking safety and protection within the university’s premises. The police and military would be able to execute more violations against anyone inside our campuses.
UP Oroquieta, as an organization that promotes academic excellence and academic freedom, vehemently condemns the decision of Duterte’s administration to end the long-standing UP-DND Accord. We highly condemn this move attempting to curtail our academic freedoms and impede the UP community from being a safe space for all. We call on the entire university to defend UP from this fascist regime that takes desperate measures to occupy our campuses. Let us remind everyone that aims to trample our academic freedom that critical thinking and dissent do not equate to terrorism.
Let us not allow state forces to disregard years of collective struggle of the entire UP community to protect its constituents from state-led military oppression. Now, more than ever, we should strongly resist the desperate attempts of this administration to compromise our safe spaces and constitutional rights.
Uphold the UP-DND Accord! No to campus militarization!