THE PHILIPPINE National Police should be held accountable for spreading disinformation and red-tagging students and schools, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago said on Friday.

“Without police accountability over drug war killings, red-tagging students, and other human rights violations, PNP’s presence in campuses and school activities threatens the exercise of basic rights and fundamental freedoms of university constituents,” Elago said.

She lamented that the police force has yet to take action on the posting of fake quotes in its social media accounts.

“Wala pa ring nananagot sa PNP infographic na pilit na iniuugnay ang terorismo sa relief work at pagsali sa rally. Wala pa ring nananagot sa paglalabas ng fake quotes mula sa PNP social media pages. Palaging nangangako ng imbestigasyon, ngunit wala pa ring aksyon,” the lawmaker said.

Elago reiterated the need to uphold the accord between the University of the Philippines and the Department of the Interior and Local Government which was scrapped by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Lorenzana and UP President Danny Concepcion held a dialogue on Thursday to discuss issues regarding the termination of the agreement.

“With the Anti-Terror Law in effect, and the recent spate of illegal arrests and planting of evidence to support trumped-up charges against activists, human rights defenders and trade union organizers, it has become more apparent now why compliance to the UP-DILG accord is urgent and necessary,” she said.

“We call for health, education, safe school reopening, accountability, not police terror,” Elago added.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson commended Lorenzana for agreeing to open the lines for future discussions with Concepcion in finding a common ground to resolve the issues involving the state’s security concerns and academic freedom.

However, the senator castigated Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. for his careless and insensitive remarks.

Lacson was referring to Parlade’s accusation against a journalist of aiding the terrorists by spreading lies.

“Coming at a time when the Solicitor General is defending the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 against 37 petitions, particularly on the issue involving “overbreadth doctrine” among others, such remarks from a high-ranking military official is uncalled for and totally unnecessary,” Lacson said.