MANILA, Philippines – Kinondena ng mga miyembro ng University of the Philippines (UP) community nitong Sabado, Agosto 10 ang kasunduan sa pagitan ng state university at Armed Forces of the Philippines para sa joint initiatives at pagbabahagi ng expertise sa national security at edukasyon.
Ang “Declaration of Cooperation” ay pinirmahan noong Agosto 8 nina UP vice president for academic affairs Leo Cubillan at AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., para palakasin ang ugnayan sa pagitan ng unibersidad at ng military sa “key areas, including strategic studies and educational outreach.”
Sa hiwalay na post sa Facebook at Instagram, sinabi ng AFP na ang deklarasyon ay sumisimbolo sa “commitment to advancing national security while fostering intellectual growth and innovation” ng military.
Dagdag pa, “it is expected to facilitate various initiatives, including joint research projects, academic programs and community engagement activities, with the aim of strategically aligning resources and expertise between the AFP and UP.”
Hindi inilabas sa official websites ng AFP at UP ang kopya ng kasunduan.
“UP purportedly champions fearless scholarship and critical thinking, but its administration now wants to ‘strategically align (its) resources and expertise’ with a coercive institution that we all know has been accused countless times by local and international human rights watchdog groups of trampling on civil liberties in its purported counterinsurgency campaigns and attacks on government critics and dissidents,” saad sa joint statement ng sectoral regents ng UP na nagrerepresenta sa faculty, students at personnel, Kasama sa UP at Defend UP Network.
“It also essentially legitimizes ongoing suppression of critical voices and progressive initiatives within the university that the military deems inimical to its notion of ‘national security,’” dagdag pa, na tumutukoy sa Red-tagging at counterinsurgency measures ng military laban sa mga student activist.
Nanawagan din ang mga ito sa pinakahuling “undemocratic action” ng liderato ng UP sa ilalim ni university president Angelo Jimenez sa hindi pagkonsulta sa university community.
Pebrero 2023 nang umupo si Jimenez bilang pangulo ng UP.
“This is most despicable and should merit the strongest condemnation from the students, faculty, staff and other community members, including all University Councils in all constituent universities,” saad sa pahayag ng tatlong regents at iba pang grupo.
Ang UP at AFP ay may “antagonistic relationship” sa loob ng ilang dekada, na pinangangasiwaan sa ilalim ng 1982 Soto-Enrile Accord na nagbabawal sa military at pulis na pumasok sa anumang UP campus na walang approval mula sa school officials upang protektahan ang Karapatan, freedom of expression at academic freedom ng mga estudyante.
Pinagtibay pa ito sa ilalim ng 1989 UP-Department of National Defense (DND) Accord, na pinirmahan ni dating Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos at UP president Jose Abueva.
Pinagbabawal ng kasunduan ang anumang pakikialam ng militar at pulis sa anumang UP campus nang walang abiso sa UP administration.
Noong Enero 2021 ay ibinasura ni dating Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ang 1989 agreement sa pagsasabing ginagamit lamang ito ng communist rebels at mga tagasuporta nito upang pigilan ang law enforcers na mag-operate laban sa kanila sa mga UP campus. RNT/JGC
