Lorenzana says decades-old DND-UP deal 'obsolete'

The University of the Philippines has become a "safe haven for the enemies of the state," prompting the Department of the National Defense to terminate its pact with the university regarding the ban on the entry of state forces on the campus, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday.

In a statement explaining the termination of the agreement, Lorenzana said the pact, which was signed in 1989, is already "obsolete."

"The times and circumstances have changed since the agreement was signed in 1989, eight years after the martial law ended. The agreement was a gesture of courtesy accorded to UP upon the University’s request," Lorenzana said.

He added that through the years the agreement was enforced, UP has become "the breeding ground of intransigent individuals and groups whose extremist beliefs have inveigled students to join their ranks to fight against the government."

"The country’s premier state university has become a safe haven for enemies of the state," Lorenzana said.

The unilateral termination of the agreement came to light Monday after the Philippine Collegian posted on Facebook  a letter from Lorenzana dated January 15 informing UP President Danilo Concepcion of the DND's decision, citing information that communists are supposedly recruiting students inside UP campuses.

Under the agreement, the military and the police were prohibited from entering the premises of any UP campus or its regional units without prior notice to the UP administration.

Some youth and progressive organizations have denounced the DND's action. Vice President Leni Robredo, for her part, said the termination of the deal is a "symbolic" gesture "designed to discourage dissent. One designed to silence criticism."

UP vice president for public affairs Dr. Elena Pernia, in November 2020, had denied that the university is recruiting students to join communist rebels, after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to defund the university for allegedly being a breeding ground for communists.

Lorenzana, meanwhile, vowed that the DND would "neither renege nor shrink on its duty to protect the rights of the majority," noting that it is the department's duty to protect all Filipino citizens.

He said the DN would not tolerate those who will violate the laws of the state in the guise of lawful public dissent, free assembly as well as free speech.

The DND chief is appealing to the UP community that they should work hand in hand in protecting students against extremism and destructive armed struggle.

"The Department of National Defense only wants what is best for our youth. Let us join hands to protect and nurture our young people to become better citizens of our great nation," Lorenzana said.  —KBK, GMA News