AN alumnus of the University of the Philippines questioned the furor raised by the scrapping of the agreement between the Department of National Defense and the University of the Philippines, saying it was not an attack on academic freedom.

“Kung ipinawalang-bisa man ni Secretary Lorenzana ang agreement, ano ba talaga ang mawawala sa kalayaan ng mga taga-UP? Mayroon ba?” Yes for Peace convener  Ernie Alcanzare said.

“Nabasa ba ninyo ito? Kung nabasa ninyo, ano-ano ba’ng mga napagkasunduan talaga ang napawalang-bisa sa pagkaka-abrogate nito ni Secretary Delfin Lorenzana?” he added.

Lorenzana’s move triggered protest rallies by different groups, students, and members of the UP community.

The Defense chief was asked to reconsider his decision.

Alcanzare urged his fellow scholars to study the issue before reacting.

He reacted to UP President Danilo Concepcion’s statement that “academic freedom is the freedom to think, to probe, to question, to find and propose better solutions.”

He asked protesters to reveal what the university lost when the DND-UP pact was scrapped.

“Mayroon ba talaga o naunahan lang tayo ng anti-government propaganda?,” Alcanzare said.

“Kung mayroob man, pakilatag nga at huwag mga slogans lang ang sinasabi ninyo. Hindi educational. Baka deceiving pa nga dahil hindi na naman kayo nakaapak sa lupa at nakasandal sa katotohanan,” he said.

However, Alcanzare clarified that he does not oppose the request of Concepcion for Lorenzana to reconsider his decision in abrogating the pact.