UP-DND accord junking won’t be reversed

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he will not reverse the Duterte administration’s junking of the accord between the University of the Philippines and Department of National Defense (DND).

The 1989 accord, signed by former president and then defense secretary Fidel Ramos and then UP president Jose Abueva, required the police to notify university officials before conducting operations inside UP campuses except during emergencies or when in hot pursuit.

Delfin Lorenzana, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense secretary, unilaterally scrapped the agreement, citing what he described as the “clandestine recruitment” of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) inside UP campuses.

Various groups criticized Lorenzana’s move, saying it endangers academic freedom and could lead to red-baiting, popularly known in the Philippines as “red-tagging.”

“No, I am not anymore. That has been a policy already done by my predecessor and I don’t want to reverse the policy,” Teodoro said. “But that does not mean to say that I am not mindful of the autonomy of the University of the Philippines. And I urge everybody to be respectful of that, without the need for any MOA (memorandum of agreement).”

Teodoro said he did not agree to a lot of “zones of peace” entered into by the local government of Tarlac, his home province, during his first stint as defense chief from 2007 to 2009 under the Arroyo administration.

“These are used as safe havens. That being said, I was admonished also and I encouraged all law enforcement officers to be really mindful of the balance between freedom of expression and protecting the peace,” he said.

Teodoro is also not inclined to support a proposal to institutionalize the accord. “If that is enacted by our legislators and signed by the President, I would comply but I won’t support it,” the defense chief said.

Asked whether he has a policy on “red-tagging” – the linking of personalities critical of the government to communists – Teodoro said: “Red-tagging is a nomenclature given by current events. If one is indeed a member of the armed group and there is evidence to prove it, we call a spade a spade.”

Form a political party

Communists can form a political party if they intend to seek power, Teodoro said Thursday, as he maintained that he is not in favor of reviving the peace negotiations with the rebels.

Speaking to Palace reporters, Teodoro said the issues tackled during the peace talks can be discussed in Congress, which he described as the “proper forum.”

He added that the communists can take part in a legitimate political process since Republic Act No. 1700, which outlawed the CPP and similar groups, has been repealed.

“I mean, ideologically, to me it’s a farce. So what we intend to do is to convince those (who) are still continuing whatever business they’re continuing which is against the law to come back and join the fold of law and join hands for national development,” Teodoro, who assumed the post of defense chief last Monday, said.