Universities blast AFP over Red list: Prove it

MANILA, Philippines — After being tagged as breeding grounds for communists and recruits for a destabilization plot against President Duterte, several universities yesterday dared the military to prove its accusation lest it endanger the security of students and undermine the integrity of educational institutions.

Lawyer Joseph Noel Estrada, who specializes in education-related issues, said the release of the list without any solid proof or evidence is irresponsible and reckless.

One of the schools on the list – Caloocan City College – does not even exist.

“It should be rectified immediately. It puts all students in these colleges and universities at risk because they are now perceived as possible communists or rebels,” Estrada told The STAR. “This also unduly affects the integrity of these schools named.”

Estrada is the legal counsel of the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities and the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines.

He also serves as counsel for Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), one of the 18 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the military’s list.

In a statement issued for EAC, Estrada said the college vehemently denies the allegation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that it is being used by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for recruitment of students.

“EAC and its students have no record of participation in any partisan political activity and, in fact, are known to be more involved in outreach and community programs because of its medical and allied health courses,” read the statement.

“Absent any proof or factual basis, the statement made by the AFP should be rectified immediately. Such statement undermines the safety and security of the students of EAC as they are now looked upon as possible communists or rebels,” it added.

The AFP claimed that the CPP is trying to incite students to rebel against the government through film showing activities that depict the dark years of martial law during the Marcos dictatorship.

But according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), showing of films about martial law should not be deemed subversive. It stressed that martial law is an established fact and part of the country’s history.

“The commission is alarmed by the release of the AFP of the list of universities allegedly involved in CPP recruitment,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said.

“This blanket act of red-tagging endangers students and the youth and it may give the AFP a license to arbitrarily infringe on the freedom of expression, the right to petition government, as well as to assembly,” she added.

De La Salle president Armin Luistro said it was obvious that the universities are showing films about martial law in time with the commemoration of its declaration last Sept. 21.

“There is nothing wrong in a university setting where many ideologies are discussed. Connecting that with an actual plot to overthrow government is an entirely different matter,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel yesterday.

“It’s a created fear. They’re creating a scenario that’s not even there by talking about the supposed ‘Red October’ plot. And to me, that’s the scary part. If your official intelligence group talks about that scenario, I think they have a modus that’s out of the usual,” he added.

Luistro earlier said that the AFP should have discussed the matter with school officials and not release it to the media if there is substantial information to support their claims.

Outrage

In a statement, the Far Eastern University (FEU) said it is fully committed to nation building and does not support efforts to destabilize the government.

“FEU is not promoting or condoning any on-campus movement to destabilize the government,” it said.

University of Santo Tomas secretary general Jesus Miranda, in a report by student publication The Varsitarian, said the AFP should first provide proof before dragging the university into its claims.

“Maybe they are just stereotyping or because we are a Catholic university and there is a perception that we are against the present government. Is that why we are being tagged?” he was quoted as saying.

Rey Jetajobe, University of Caloocan City (UCC) EDSA campus administrator, also denounced the military’s allegation.

The UCC – formerly Caloocan City Community College and Caloocan City Polytechnic College – was erroneously listed by the AFP as “Caloocan City College.”

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan said he met with UCC officials who denied the allegation but vowed to look into the matter anyway.

UP vice president for public affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. earlier declined to comment on the matter, saying university officials have yet to see the report of the military on which the allegations were based.

Student regent Ivy Taroma warned that the list could endanger students in the universities.

University of Makati president Tomas Lopez said their management has no knowledge of any student activity linked to the AFP claims.

“While we protect the rights of our students to free speech and assembly, we also strongly adhere to the principles of democracy as enshrined in our Constitution,” he said.

“Our student development efforts are centered on providing them programs that will strengthen their employability and readiness for work after graduation. As a local academic institution, we do not participate in any partisan political initiatives, but rather, we focus on efforts to strengthen the value of citizenship in young Filipinos so they can become productive members of our society,” he added.

Michael Arthur Camiña, legal officer and spokesman of the Makati City government, said they might file charges against the AFP.

Black Friday

Amid the AFP’s allegations, militant student groups said they would organize activities to protest the red tagging of students.

Students from some of the schools tagged by the military yesterday announced plans to hold a Black Friday protest today and a nationwide walkout on Oct. 12.

Student councils at UP also issued a unity statement on the allegations.

“Instead of addressing the lack of free education for the youth, the skyrocketing prices of basic goods and services and the rampant extra-judicial killings in the country, the Duterte administration chose to turn its back on us,” it read.

“The implications of this barbaric accusation can lead to attacks against our right to organize and to express our aversion to the true state of our nation,” it added.

Other universities in the list include Adamson, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the East campuses in Manila and Caloocan.

Also included are San Beda University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, University of Manila, Philippine Normal University and the Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology.

The National Union of the People’s Lawyer of the Philippines slammed the AFP for using “red scare” tactics to create a climate of fear and insecurity and portray itself as a victim of destabilization.

“The state cannot stand the fact that Duterte is unpopular among the youth for his deadly wars against the people. The malicious tagging of schools is hence part of the fabricated plot used by the state to vilify students who fight against Duterte’s tyrannical rule,” said the organization.

“Why are AFP and Duterte allergic to fora and films that tackle Marcos’ martial law and its similarities with the dictatorship that Duterte is imposing? They hate the truth because lies are the foundation of their rule,” it added.

The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said the AFP’s red-tagging universities was irresponsible and dangerous.

“It is an attack on academic freedom, free speech and the right to organize,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.

“The AFP desperately tries to link protests on various issues to an imagined destabilization plot,” he said.

Reyes also decried linking the film screenings on martial law and protests against extrajudicial killings to the alleged destabilization plot by the CPP.

“Not only is this paranoia, clearly this is an attack on the rights of students and faculty to take up social issues. This is intended to stifle all forms of dissent,” he said.

“This is meant to scare school administrators and student groups and dissuade them from joining any action critical of the regime. It is a good thing that administrators and student groups are speaking out to rebuke the AFP,” the Bayan official said.

Reyes said the attacks on academic institutions would only open the eyes of the youth to the anti-democratic character of the regime.  With Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Rhodina Villanueva, Robertzon Ramirez