ILOILO City – The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) based in Jamindan, Capiz vowed no military crackdown and abuses in the campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP).
Major Cenon Pancito III, 3ID spokesman, gave the assurance after the Department of National Defense (DND) terminated its long-time agreement with UP that regulated police and military presence in the university.
According to Pancito, academic freedom was not, in any way, curtailed with the termination of the pact forged in 1989.
“The Army welcomes the abrogation of the UP-DND pact. The abolition of the accord would actually allow us to do what is required of us – peace and security operations anywhere and anytime,” Pancito said.
The DND terminated the agreement on Jan. 15 amid concerns the state university was supposedly becoming “a safe haven for enemies of the state.”
Reacting to DND’s move, UP Visayas described the termination as “ill-conceived and unilateral.”
The accord was a reliable mechanism for resolving differences of opinion between UP and law enforcement agencies, said UPV Chancellor Clement Camposano.
“Kung tatangalin po ang mekanismo na ‘yan, mayroon pong panganib sa seguridad ng ating komunidad,” said Camposano in an interview over DZUP 1602.
But Pancito insisted the abrogation will never create a chilling effect as “maliciously concluded” by some quarters.
“We have the highest regard on UP as an institution. We will never allow anyone to destroy UP as an academe. This includes the crippling maneuvers of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, New People’s Army,” the Army official said.
He added: “We will ensure that UP can discharge its mandated functions but please allow us also to discharge our peace and security functions.”
Earlier, Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana justified the decision to abruptly end the DND-UP agreement.
He claimed the three-decade old agreement accorded to UP out of courtesy is now obsolete and there is a need to protect the majority of Filipinos against a university that has become a “breeding ground” of extremists.
“The country’s premier state university has become a safe haven for the enemies of the state. The Department of National Defense will neither renege nor shirk from its duty to protect the rights of the majority. It will not tolerate those who violate the laws of the land in the guise of lawful public dissent, free assembly, and free speech,” he said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the UPV University Student Council, college councils, and student organizations issued a joint statement denouncing the termination of the agreement. They pointed out that UPV students, teachers and employees have already been subjected to red-tagging and harassment even with the accord in place.
The termination of the landmark agreement “legitimizes further attacks and harassment against members of the UP community, as well as empowering state forces to stifle our basic constitutional right to dissent,” the statement added.
In 2019, several UPV students and teachers were harassed online by supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte after a video of a 15-minute cheering performance of the Skimmers academic group went viral due to its satirical take on university and national issues.
The UPV administration, student organizations, and the academic employees union asserted the right to freedom of expression of the students and decried the harassment.
UPV is one of the autonomous units of the UP system and has campuses in Tacloban City, Iloilo City and Miag-ao town in Iloilo province./PN
