Lorenzana defends junking of UP accord, but some lawmakers denounce the move
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana stood pat on his decision to junk a 1989 deal that bars the police and military from entering the premises of the University of the Philippines, calling the deal “obsolete,” even as a chorus of lawmakers slammed the move.
In a series of tweets, Lorenzana took a swipe at UP by asking what makes the campus so special.
“Sa UP mayroon silang ala-Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Military can’t enter without coordination. What makes UP so special? Nasa Korean border ba kayo? CLOY is life na ba? We are not your enemies. We are here to protect our people, especially our youth,” Lorenzana said.
Sa UP mayroon silang ala-Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Military can’t enter without coordination. What makes UP so special? Nasa Korean border ba kayo? CLOY is life na ba? We are not your enemies. We are here to protect our people, especially our youth.
— Delfin Lorenzana (@del_lorenzana) January 19, 2021
In a subsequent tweet, Lorenzana also said that “the agreement has become obsolete.”
“The times and circumstances have changed since the agreement was signed in 1989, three years after the martial law ended. The agreement was a gesture of courtesy accorded to UP upon the University’s request,” Lorenzana said.
The agreement has become obsolete. The times and circumstances have changed since the agreement was signed in 1989, three years after the martial law ended. The agreement was a gesture of courtesy accorded to UP upon the University’s request.
— Delfin Lorenzana (@del_lorenzana) January 19, 2021
Lorenzana also said that UP “has become a safe haven for enemies of the state.”
The country’s premier state university has become a safe haven for enemies of the state. The Department of National Defense will neither renege nor shirk on its duty to protect the rights of the majority.
— Delfin Lorenzana (@del_lorenzana) January 19, 2021
Citing concerns regarding communist recruitment inside the campus, Lorenzana made known the decision to scrap the UP-DND accord in a letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion.
Concepcion responded to Lorenzana’s letter, saying “police and military authorities should have no fear of academic freedom.”
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, meanwhile, said that President Rodrigo Duterte supports Lorenzana’s decision in the issue.
“Eh si Secretary Lorenzana po is an alter ego of the President. Of course the President supports the decision of Secretary Lorenzana,” said Roque.
Historical context
In explaining the importance of upholding the UP-DND accord, Vice President Leni Robredo said scrapping recalled the context of why the deal was forged in 1989.
“The Accord was an effort to ease apprehensions, not just within the UP community, but among the public at large, that the reign of violence and terror that held sway during the dictatorship had never really gone away. Its aim was not to exempt UP or its community from any law, but to send the clear message that in a democracy, even a fledgling one, law enforcement was conducted following clear rules, within defined limits,” Robredo said in a statement.
Robredo, who is a product of UP, said that the “unilateral scrapping of the decades-old Accord sends the opposite message: That under this administration, anyone, anywhere, at anytime, is fair game.”
Robredo said that previous administrations have managed upholding the Accord while implementing law enforcement only by giving notice to University officials.
“Clearly, then, this is not a practical gesture, but a symbolic one. One designed to sow fear. One designed to discourage dissent. One designed to silence criticism,” Robredo said.
Heightened tension
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Senate Minority leader Franklin Drilon said he was “saddened” by the development as it “unnecesarily increases the tension between the UP and the authorities.”
“I know Sec. Lorenzana to be a very reasonable person. I would ask him to review this abrogation of this agreement because it does not solve any problem it just heightens the tension,” said Drilon.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, in a tweet, also said she denounces the unilateral termination of the deal.
“Needlessly propping up the “communist bogeyman” has always been an obscene vanity project and an excuse for their red tagging and disregard for basic human rights,” said Hontiveros.
Needlessly propping up the “communist bogeyman” has always been an obscene vanity project and an excuse for their red tagging and disregard for basic human rights.
— risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) January 19, 2021
Gabriel Women’s partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas said the termination of the Accord “reeks of Duterte’s desperation to stifle dissent and free speech in the university, especially as UP has been a safe haven for democratic protests.”
