CHR: Safety policies in schools must guarantee protection of civil, political liberties
MANILA, Philippines — The protection of civil and political liberties of students and faculty members must be observed at all times amid the increased presence of military and security forces inside educational institutions, the Commission on Human Rights said.
“Although it is the police and military’s mandate to maintain peace and security, the commission upholds that safety policies within school campuses must be in close coordination and consultation with the university administrators,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said in a statement Friday.
She added: “It should be in accordance with the law and other agreements between security forces and academic institutions. These measures must guarantee the utmost protection of civil and political liberties of all individuals concerned and must be observed in all circumstances.”
The entry of police and military personnel in schools to counter alleged leftist recruitment raised strong concerns from both the academic and civil society, who described the government’s move as a crackdown against activism and academic freedom.
Last week, students and faculty of the University of the Philippines community staged a walkout in different campuses nationwide. In 1982, UP and the Department of National Defense signed an agreement that cops and soldiers are prohibited from entering any UP campus without authorization from UP administration.
“Students have the right to organize and involve themselves freely and voluntarily in various organizations—may it be political or not—and have the agency to come and go as they please according to their best interest,” De Guia said.
She added: “If there are any academic or legal consequence stemming from this kind of involvement, grievance mechanisms for students and parties involved should be in place.”
But for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the proposal to send soldiers to school will not lead to militarization and curtail academic freedom.
“There is no curtailment of academic freedom because we do not intend to and will not intervene in the determination of what subjects to be taught, who will tech and how it will be taught,” Brig. Gen Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday.
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