The University of the Philippines Visayas denounces the sudden termination, without consultation, of the 1989 DND-UP Agreement that regulates police and military operations inside the University’s campuses. Historical events that have shaped the relationship of UP and the country’s security forces—many of these leaving wounds that have yet to heal—explain the University’s strong apprehension. While the Department of National Defense has given assurances that constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms would not be suppressed, these historical events and the sordid reality of recent killings, abductions, and other forms of human rights abuses widely believed to have been perpetrated by security forces cannot but leave us unassured. We call on the members of the UPV community to be steadfast and resolute in the defense of their democratic rights, and in ensuring that the University’s campuses remain free, safe, and welcoming towards a wide range of ideas and advocacies.
The 1989 Accord provides a reliable mechanism for resolving differences of opinion between the University and law enforcement agencies. We strongly urge the Secretary of Defense to return to the path of reason and reconsider this unilateral and ill-conceived abrogation.
