Normalize student activism

June 11, 2021

Michael John Lester T. Ruiz

RED-TAGGING. Six placards nailed on acacia trees in front of Isabela State University-Angadanan Campus red-tagging legitimate student organizations, an action which also violates RA 3571 that prohibits injuring trees along public roads and school premises. (Photo/Caption by Michael John Lester Ruiz, 5/21/2021)

Student activism could lead to rebellion. This is how Duterte and his allies frame the issue of activism inside universities in the country. Early this year, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana unilaterally abrogated the University of the Philippines – Department of National Defense Accord also known as UP-DND Accord, which has protected the University from military and police intrusion for decades.

Just more than a week after, National Task Force to End Local Communist and Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, known for spouting unverified claims, has accused and Red-tagged once again 18 universities as “recruitment havens” for communist rebels. These accusations were immediately dismissed and condemned by the universities’ officials.

“So may section diyan sa UP, for instance, mayroong section committee diyan na ang talagang focus nila ay magpinpoint, magtarget nitong mga magagaling na estudyante na pwede nilang irecruit at ang mga guro na ito, ito yung nagpapapasok ng mga NPA at saka mga recruiter sa loob ng classroom. Hindi ‘yun estudyante. Nagsi-sit in diyan para mag-observe with the blessing of these teachers,” Parlade said in an interview with GMA’s DZBB.

(There is a section committee in UP, for instance, there is a section committee that is focused on pointing and targeting excellent students that they can recruit and these teachers help NPA and recruiters enter their classrooms. They are not students. They sit and observe with the blessing of these teachers.)

Moreover, after targeting news companies (like ABS-CBN, Rappler and Inquirer) and progressive groups who express dissent to his government, it seems that President Duterte won’t miss targeting students who expressed their dissatisfaction and dissent over his draconian policies.

President Duterte and his cohorts have expressed their “concern” over what they claimed, based on poor intelligence, that the University of the Philippines is a recruitment ground for the rebel group, Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

"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 shrink on its duty to protect the rights of the majority. It will not tolerate those who will violate the laws of the land in the guise of lawful public dissent, free assembly, and free speech," Defense Secretary Lorenzana said in a statement.

Crackdown on student activists

Last year, during the surge of COVID-19 infections, there were many illegal and inhumane arrests recorded against student activists, in the guise of their anti-insurgency campaign.

The most recent attack on student activists happened last May 1 where 11 members of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and their driver, dubbed as Zambales 12, were illegally arrested and jailed, this time because of an alleged violation of quarantine protocols.

These arrests are not isolated events. We can see a common pattern here: state forces targeting progressive students. And the Anti-Terrorism Law aggravated the situation causing more arrests and human rights violations.

The arrests do not tell the full story. Police and military forces have also used social media to Red-tag students and their legitimate organizations. Presidential Communications Coordination Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy and the infamous Parlade, both spokesperson of the said task force, are the leading “red-taggers” that have jeopardized safety and protection of the students, both online and offline. In their desperation to end local communists’ insurgency, they have resorted to unethical and improper actions.

These unexpected behaviors of military, police and government officials are not helping, in any way, to resolve the problem of insurgency and rebellion. Instead of building trust and cooperation among the citizens, they go on the spree of Red-tagging, accusing individuals of communist links. As the saying goes, one cannot correct a mistake by committing another mistake.

Duty

Moreover, student activism is still stigmatized in the country. Despite its increasing importance, many students still do not welcome this idea. But one thing is for sure, student activism, and any form of activism is not a crime.

However, the Duterte administration frames activism as the gateway to commit acts of terrorism. In fact, it is the other way around, to engage in activism is to uphold democracy. And in upholding democracy, you help achieve a better society where everyone, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, and political leaning, can be whoever they want to be. Thus, student activism, just like any other activism, is a duty we ought to do.

It must be understood that student activism is part of the history of the University. Without activism, UP will not be what it is today.

On the University's website: “UP has been known for its long-tradition of activism. … The most celebrated student protest was the Diliman Commune in February 1971. UP Diliman constituents held a barricade inside the campus for nine days, declaring a “Republic of Diliman,” while pressing issues like human rights, academic freedom and freedom of speech and expression.”

UP (and other universities), therefore, is not “a safe haven for enemies of the state” but a safe haven where individuals can exercise their constitutional and democratic rights. Protect your rights and freedom today for the benefit of future generations of students.

Why is this important?

The move to stifle the rights and freedom of students is not just the problem of the students at the country’s national university; it is the problem of all students. And the right to give opinion and dissent are rights and duties that everyone, not just students, have. So, don’t let your rights and freedom be trampled upon.

During these trying times, where the pandemic response should be the utmost priority of the government, let us continue to call out the Duterte administration to prioritize the medical needs of Filipinos instead of polarizing the nation and weaponizing the pandemic to advance their authoritarian and anti-dissent agenda.

You are badly needed by your country!

Natan Sharansky once said: “Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society.”

The question is: Are we still living in a free society? SYNC IN