UNIVERSITY of the Philippines President Danilo Concepcion said the Armed Forces of the Philippines needs to show proof of its claim the university is a venue for ‘clandestine recruitment’ into the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army.

“We in the University of the Philippines take exception to recent claims made by the AFP that some UP colleges, units and offices have knowingly condoned their alleged ‘infiltration” by the CPP/NPA,’” Concepcion said in a statement.

“The UP administration is unaware of and has received no specifics regarding these recent allegations and the circumstances surrounding them.”

He said UP students are exposed to all ideologies, but the allegation of ‘clandestine activities’ must be backed up by evidence.

“As it stands now, these allegations, lacking as yet any factual evidence, serve as unnecessary distractions for both UP and the AFP at a time when there are far greater crises, including a global pandemic, confronting us,” Concepcion stressed.

“UP is, has always been, and will continue to remain a safe space for free thought and expression, intelligent criticism and dissent. This, too, is in accordance with the law of the land,” he added.

The Department of National Defense unilaterally terminated its agreement with the university that for decades prevented members of the military from entering UP campuses.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana cited the recruitment of students by the CPP/NPA as the reason behind the abrogation.

Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.,  spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, backed up the claims of Lorenzana stressing that some members of the UP community helped prepare ‘for some activities in the underground’ like anniversaries of the CPP/NPA, and providing materials for propaganda “to destroy and bring down the government.”

Concepcion, however, said that ‘red-tagging’, or the act of labelling groups and individuals as communist rebels or fronts, may lead to unlawful arrests and violence.

“At worst, these allegations pose a very real danger to the lives and safety of our students, faculty, staff and the members of the UP community. These dangers come not only from elements of the military and the police, but also from vigilantes who seek to take justice into their own hands,” he said.

As he expressed the university’s willingness to engage in a dialogue with the DND, he also stressed that the UP not only busies itself with activism but also produces leaders in different fields.

Concepcion hopes the issue will be resolved peacefully, with both UP and the DND returning to the spirit of the accord, which he said represents mutual respect between the two institutions.

“Again we do not condone violence, terrorism, or coercion as a means of political action from whatever source or for whatever purpose. We call on the military and police leadership to engage with UP and other universities in a constructive dialogue on the issues involved in these allegations, to dispel their chilling effect and encourage trust and confidence in our uniformed services,” he said.

Concepcion also called on members of the community to defend the university “from all attacks and machinations” against academic freedom and “to uphold safety and freedom.”