KABATAAN Party-list on Wednesday denounced the unilateral abrogation of the agreement between the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense which bars military presence in its campuses without approval from the school administrator.

Based on the group’s information, the accord between PUP and DND was rescinded a year after the department terminated a similar agreement with the University of the Philippines.

“Like a thief in the night, the past Duterte administration abrogated the accord, without any intention of consulting or, worse, of even informing the PUP community of their decision and its consequences,” the group said.

“The abrogation of the two academic freedom accords long fought for and won by a generation of students is a betrayal of the memory of countless victims of human rights violations who merely expressed free ideas inside their university,” it added.

The group said that it does not expect the current administration to listen to the community’s grievances as it continues to cut budgets and lead the railroading of mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps.

“However, iskolar ng bayan along with the Filipino youth continue to demand accountability and action from the Marcos Jr. administration to reinstate both the PUP and UP-DND accords. Academic freedom is non-negotiable. We will continue to lobby for more secure protections for academic freedom for all higher education institutions nationwide,” the group said.