UP President: "Kung Tatanggalan kami ng Academic Freedom, Mawawalan na ng Saysay ang UP"

University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo Concepcion issued an official statement on the Department of National Defense's rejection of the UP-DND Accord.

The UP-DND Accord is an agreement which states that government forces (police and s0ldiers) will not be able to enter the school lightly.

“Kung ang UP ay tatanggalan ng academic freedom sa ano mang pamamaraan, ang UP ay mawawalan ng saysay at kabuluhan… Instead of instilling confidence in our police and mili*tary, your decision can only sow more confusion and mistrust, given that you have not specified what it is that you exactly aim to do or put in place in lieu of the protections and courtesies afforded by the government… By and large, intellectual and political dissidents in UP have always been in the minority, but it is a critical minority that has historically been vital to the maintenance of a healthy democracy,” according to the UP Official.

 

  Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, on the other hand, explained the importance of canceling the said agreement. According to the secretary, UP is becoming a way to persuade c0mmunist r3bels.

They also discovered that some UP students are already the cadre of the C0mmunist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP - NpA).

 

“The agreement has become obsolete… University of the Philippines has become the breeding ground of intransigent individuals and groups whose extremist beliefs have inveigled students to join their ranks to f!ght against the government. The Department of National Defense will neither renege nor shirk on its duty to protect the rights of the majority,” said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Read the reaction from the netizens on (UP) President Danilo Concepcion's official statement on the Department of National Defense's rejection of the UP-DND Accord:

 

Source: PTV | Philstar