SAN JOSE, Antique – The University of Antique (UA) has no subversive books in its library, according to its president, Dr. Pablo Crespo Jr.
He stressed this during a dialogue on Monday with the Philippine Army’s 301 Infantry Brigade and the Western Visayas’ Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC).
“We are glad that UA has made such an assurance. We hope other universities in the region will do the same,” said Captain Kim Apitong, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division.
Apitong said it is the responsibility of the academe to protect students from “wrong ideologies” by clearing their libraries of books which could encourage students to rebel against the government.
“We hope that other universities would also open their minds and volunteer to surrender their books that sow misinformation,” he said.
Apitong particularly cited the books written by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) or Prof. Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Crespo committed that UA will fully support the campaign to end insurgency.
The NDF has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) created in April 1973.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
“We are happy that we have been briefed about the ELCAC program and we commit to support to end insurgency as a university,” Crespo said. (PNA)
