Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana states that he sees no need to “reinstate” the 1989 UP-DND Accord since its termination last January, noting a “rigorous study” done by defense specialists.
Lorenzana states that despite the abolishment of the 1989 UP-DND Accord, the UP-DILG Accord is still in effect. Furthermore, Lorenzana further asserts that there must be no exclusivity towards the protection of the military.
UPD University Student Council (USC) CRAW Councilor Ajay Lagrimas negates this and asserts that universities must be places of academic freedom and that this ‘exclusivity’ must serve as a trailblazer to what UP has, in order for this exclusivity to prevail and promote academic freedom.
“Alam naman ng intelligence kung anong dapat gawin,” Lorenzana stated in an interview.
(The intelligence officers know what must be done.)
Last January, he stated that the said accord serves as a hindrance to provide full security to UP campuses. But it was not only Lorenzana who tagged the university as a recruitment hub of the New People’s Army (NPA), but also then-Davao Mayor Duterte prior to his election to the presidency.
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With these in mind, the rights and lives of student activists, and the UP community is at stake. Last August 7, a viral tweet by Lagrimas stated that there have been circulating reports of his impending arrest in his hometown, Bicol. His mother and friends warned him not to go home to Bicol for the sake of his safety. A relative of Lagrimas who works for their province’s local government unit (LGU) confirmed that he is already being ‘closely-monitored’ as per President Duterte’s mandate on LGUs to monitor and arrest suspected individuals.
Read: https://bit.ly/2VD1Q0q and https://bit.ly/3jG28fh
In an exclusive interview with SINAG, Lagrimas stated that the intimidation he’s experiencing is part of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-ELCAC) request for more funds for their Barangay Development Plan (BDP) despite their underspent 2020 budget. Barangays are given lump sum funds in exchange for the launch of a counterinsurgency program. In spite of receiving threats and harassment, Lagrimas had not yet observed any forms of physical surveillance that could pose a risk to his safety.
Lagrimas stated that not all UP students are safe from such for the university has already been branded as the bastion of activism, wherein he reminisced some warnings he received prior to his admission to the university.
“Tinatarget ako dahil kabahagi ako ng isang malawak na hanay ng mga mamamayan sa loob ng pamantasan na lumalaban,” he stated in reference to prior warnings before his admission to UP.
Lagrimas shared that his father is a farmer, first-handedly exposing to him the struggles of the marginalized. That is why despite being a student in the field of natural sciences, he chose to immerse himself in the foundations of the social sciences and use it to organize communities and to change the world, citing Karl Marx.
When asked about DND Sec. Lorenzana’s statement on discontinuing the UP-DND Accord, Lagrimas believes that this is a manifestation of the Duterte administration’s Anti-Terror Law, revealing President Duterte’s involvement in the accord’s abrogation.
Lagrimas points out events that happened during the absence of the UP-DND Accord, mainly the surveillance and harassment of police forces towards the UP communities, of Pook Malinis and Arboretum; furthermore, he points out the intimidation faced by members of Alay Sining that were brought to barangay officials. These unfortunate events serve as one of the concrete evidence to fight for the return of the UP-DND Accord.
Lagrimas also believes that the president has no power in dissolving or returning the accord; ultimately, the power lies in the masses’ collective struggle.
Therefore, Lagrimas believes and asserts that mobilizations and resistance against the government must not be viewed negatively, for the people have the right to freedom of organization, speech, and expression.
Lagrimas, when asked with regards to the UP-DILG Accord, states that the said accord only prevents the Philippine National Police (PNP) and that despite the presence of such accord, cases of red-tagging, threats, and harassment continue to prevail. Considering such, if ever the presence of the UP-DILG Accord would be threatened and/or abrogated, unimaginable events with regards to the violation of the rights of the UP community would be imminent and worse. The presence of both accords would prevent such events.
“Yung threat na ‘yun hindi talaga yan titigil hanggang nandyan si Duterte eh…kaya ang ultimate call dapat ay ouster! In the latter sense, wag na silang hayaang bumalik sa eleksyon 2022…” said Lagrimas when asked about his message for fellow red-tagged individuals.
With regards to the upcoming 2022 Presidential Elections, Lagrimas states that the UP Community, and the people in general, must not be passive towards presidential campaign promises. He asserts that Student/Community Agenda’s are necessary to be distributed to presidential candidates, and observing the proposed platforms of the latter must be the basis of the people for their decision to vote.
The UP Community also holds a reputation for having no favoured presidential administrations in the course of Democratic Filipino History, however Lagrimas states otherwise. He asserts that the mere fact that UP favoured no president is a manifestation that all presidents of the republic did not uphold social serenity and the resolution of social issues, especially those concerning the marginalized of society.
“Balikan natin ang mandate ng Iskolar ng Bayan…meron tayong Honor and Excellence and aside from that, Serve the People! Ang people na tinutukoy dito ay ang batayang masa, mga magsasaka, mga manggagawa, at maralita…makipamuhay sa kanila, pag-aralan ang lipunan at baguhin ito,” said Lagrimas when asked about his challenge for the youth and the masses.
Featured image courtesy of Ajay Lagrimas.
