“Ngayon, dalawang taon matapos ang makaisang-panig na pagbuwag sa UP-DND Accord, nagpapatuloy ang banta ng pang-aatake at pang-aabuso sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. Mula nang mawala ang kasunduan at polisiyang ito, kapansin-pansin ang lalong pagdami ng mga kaso ng panggigipit, paninindak, panre-redtag, at panghihimasok ng militar at pati ng kapulisan sa loob ng mga kampus kahit na may bisa pa rin ang UP-DILG Accord.”
Defend UP Network
On the second anniversary of the unilateral abrogation ng UP-DND Accord
“DEFEND UP! DEFEND ACADEMIC FREEDOM!”
UP community intensifies and manifests its rejection of the unitary abrogation by the Department of National Defense (DND) of the UP-DND Accord two years after the termination.
On January 15, 2021, under the Duterte administration, the DND under Sec. Delfin Lorenzana sent a letter stating the abolition of the 1989 Accord to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. The letter was disclosed to the public only on January 18, 2021.
The UP-DND Accord is a bilateral agreement between the University of the Philippines and the DND signed and took effect on June 30, 1989, which restricted military operations inside the campus.
The Accord is a fruition of a long fight for academic freedom and resistance against state suppression since Martial Law, which saw state-endorsed terror against student protests, campus journalists, and the academe that revealed the corruption under the Marcos Sr., regime.
There are also other agreements between the University and the State, including the 1992 Accord between UP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which is still in effect.
READ: http://bitly.ws/z6iE
Years after, state suppression has especially intensified during the Duterte administration, which operated with more overt state terrorism, particularly red-tagging, against which the UP community, among other sectors, resisted.
Since the abrogation in 2021, amalgamated with the enforcement of the so-called Anti-Terrorism Law, attacks against the University further escalated despite the 1992 UP-DILG Accord.
Defend UP Network highlighted the recent abduction of Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha, two UP Cebu alumni on January 10.
“Bagamat nakabalik na sila sa kanilang pamilya, pinaghihinalaang mga puwersa ng estado ang may kagagawan sa kanilang pagkakadakip, gayong matagal na silang biktima ng pang-aabuso, paniniktik, at maging ng walang-batayang panghuhuli,” the network noted.
LOOK: http://bitly.ws/z6mH
In its unity statement, Ugnayang Tanggol KAPP also emphasized the attacks on the college.
“CSSP has not been spared from these attacks. In the last two years, several CSSP-based individuals and organizations have been red-baited, red-tagged, and even arrested on trumped-up charges. SINAG, the college’s official publication, has also been attacked several times, with internet trolls and state agents threatening its editors and claiming that it has been ‘infiltrated by terrorists,” CSSP’s academic freedom alliance said.
READ: http://bitly.ws/z6nK
Defend UP Network also lamented the possible implementation of the National Citizens Service Training Program (NCST) Bill during the Marcos Jr. regime, which seeks to replace the current National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001.
NCSTP would abrogate the freedom of college students to choose among three components (ROTC, LTS, CWTS), making students train as cadets for 240 hours. The graduating cadets will be enlisted as reservists of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under the Citizen Armed Force.
“Dahil lalo lamang nitong papapasukin ang militar at kapulisan sa mga kampus, malinaw na ang panukalang NCSTP ay isang anyo ng militarisasyon ng mga paaralan at isang banta sa kalayaang akademiko ng pamantasan sa panahong walang institusyonal na proteksyon tulad ng UP-DND Accord,” Defend UP Network argued.
Defend UP Network’s unity statement demanded the institutionalization of UP-DND Accord; investigation of the state-endorsed abduction case of Dyan and Armand; and dismissal of the NCSTP Bill
The CSSP community through its unity statement also extended support stating, “We urge our lawmakers, especially the UP alumni in both houses of Congress, to heed the call of the community, defend academic freedom, and fight for the UP-DND Accord. We will remain tireless in the fight against campus militarization, continuously assert our demands for academic freedom, and reject the current administration’s attempts to cover up the worsening crisis by stifling dissent.”
#DefendUP
#DefendCSSP
#DefendAcademicFreedom
#InstitutionalizeUPDNDAccord
#HandsOffDyanAndArmand
#NoToMandatoryROTC
Featured image courtesy of Johannes Hong
