THE DEPARTMENT of National Defense has unilaterally terminated its agreement with the University of the Philippines that barred the entry of members of the military inside the campus.

In a letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion, Delfin Lorenzana said that the department finds the agreement as a “hindrance in providing effective security, safety, and welfare of the students, faculty, and employees of UP.”

“In pursuit of true national peace and development, it is time to terminate or abrogate the existing ‘Agreement’ with the end view of protecting and securing the institution and youth against the enemies of the Filipino people without sacrificing the freedoms we have preserved for about thirty years since this ‘Agreement’ was executed,” he said.

Lorenzana said that recent incidents proved that some UP students and alumni have become members of the Communist Party of the Philippines/New Peoples Army. Both groups were declared as terrorist entities by the government.

Lorenzana claimed that the 1989 UP-DND accord was used by the communists as “a shield or propaganda.”

“This Department is aware that there is indeed ongoing clandestine recruitment inside UP campuses nationwide for membership in the CPP/NPA and that ‘Agreement’ is being used by the CPP/NPA recruiters and supporters as a shield and propaganda so that government law enforcers are barred from conducting operations against the CPP/NPA,” Lorenzana said.

Since 1982, UP students have been afforded freedom from military intervention.

Under the accord, the police and the military are not allowed to conduct operations within the vicinity of UP campuses without prior notice or approval of the university administration. This was a result of a long history of student disappearances and killings that took place within the vicinity of the campuses during that time.

Lorenzana reiterated that the DND does not intend to station military or police inside UP campuses.

“The Department of National Defense has nothing to gain from suppressing these rights and freedoms but will only alienate it further from the people. Our Armed Forces and Police are willing to reach out to the youth and provide them with another perspective on our nation and society. We want them to see their Armed Forces and Police as protectors worthy of trust, not fear,” he said.

National Union of Students of the Philippines President Jandeil Roperos condemned the termination of the agreement, saying that they do not feel safe if state forces are inside the campus.

“Now, they would like to desperately terminate the agreement in the guise of ‘national security and safety’ and ‘UP being hotbed of communism’. But we all know for a fact that PNP and AFP have long records of human right abuses, even until today,” Roperos said.