Alleged Manila police order to list Muslim students slammed as deplorable, disgraceful
MANILA, Philippines — An alleged Manila police memorandum for station commanders in the city to submit a list of Muslim high school and college students is deplorable and disgraceful, a member of the Bangsamoro parliament said Thursday night.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers released Thursday an alleged copy of the Manila Police District memorandum, which is supposedly part of the national police's “peace building and counter violent extremism” efforts.
"This is why it is hard to be a Muslim in this country. It’s always like this, the Muslim experience is framed in a cruel, endless cycle. This discrimination that we feel is rampant, constant, and endless," Bangsamoro Transition Authority Member Amir Mawallil said in a Facebook post in reaction to the memorandum.
The memorandum's subject reads: "Updated List of Muslim Students in High School, Colleges, and Universities in Metro Manila."
The updated list includes the names of schools, the contact numbers of their principals, and the total number of Muslim students studying there.
The document also lists the initiative as by the "direction of Pb. Gen. Bernabe M. Balba, DD, MPD."
"You say we are Filipino, too? You say we are likely to become terrorists and extremists? You are collecting names of our youth in your list of people to counter? It is deplorable. It is disgraceful. And it is terror at its finest," Mawallil said.
ACT: Profiling is ignorant and Islamophobic
ACT called the supposed police measure "ignorant and islamophobic" targeting of Muslim students.
"Schools should not allow themselves to be utilized for such or any other counterinsurgency measures by the PNP," the group said in their statement.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers has released a copy of a Manila police memorandum directing station commanders to submit an updated list of Muslim high school and college students as part of its “peace building and counter violent extremism” efforts. | via @jvrmateoSTAR pic.twitter.com/9SHvuAzvOS
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) February 20, 2020
"It is deplorable that the PNP would want to target these young Muslim students to supposedly counter violent extremism, which is short of saying that Muslims are more likely to become extremists or terrorists," ACT National Chairperson Joselyn Martinez said.
"But the reality is, these students and our schools have nothing to do with the government's wars, and therefore should not be used as avenues in the furtherance of such. It should remain zones of peace, free of police and military intrusion."
READ: How activists respond to being tagged as rebels
'End bigotry'
Just the day before, Sen. Nancy Binay slammed the reported "profiling" of transgender women by Makati police, and said that profiling by institutions has led to law-abiding citizens being wrongly arrested.
In her statement, Binay asserted that the PNP and law-enforcement agencies should have a clear and enforceable policy in ending bigotry, particularly institutionalized homophobia and transphobia in their organizations in order to wholly secure protection against all forms of profiling extend across the country.
Both Binay and Martinez in their statements also pointed out that police and military are duty-bound to uphold the 1987 Constitution and its Bill of Rights, which guarantees the protection of people against all forms of discrimination, including those based on religious and political beliefs.
"Huwag na po sana tayo dumagdag sa culture of hate and discrimination na nananaig lalo na laban sa ating LGBTQ+ sector, people's organizations, mga kapatid nating Muslim, or dahil sa politika," she said on Wednesday.
(Let us not add to the prevailing culture of hate and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ sector, people's organizations, Muslims or over politics.)
READ: Binay slams police 'profiling' after 'Oplan X-men' goes viral
- Latest
- Trending
