AN UNANNOUNCED police presence at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu on Thursday, August 29, 2024, ahead of its National Press Freedom Rally on Friday, August 30, has raised concerns among the school’s student council.
The UP Cebu Student Council said in a post that police vehicles started emerging at 1:28 p.m. Thursday, August 29, with a private vehicle of a police officer parked at the premises of the Arts and Sciences Hall.
“The increased patrols continued throughout the day, with a notable police vehicle stationed by the entrance to the undergraduate campus,” it added.
The incident worried the student council, noting the arrest of a student leader during a protest dubbed as “McDiola” in Tacloban City, Leyte, and amid the heightened scrutiny of the UP-AFP Declaration of Cooperation on August 16.
The UP-AFP Declaration of Cooperation, which facilitates "visits, exchanges, and research fellowships" between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and UP, has sparked debate and concerns about potential implications for academic freedom and student activism.
“The timing of this heightened security has stirred unease among the student body, especially in the context of recent events and ongoing discussions,” the UP Cebu Student Council said.
Sources said, though, that the police officers seen in the campus were providing security for an event scheduled at UP Cebu’s Performing Arts Hall.
The school’s official student publication, Tug-ani, said in a Facebook post that “the police presence was related to a duty assignment for an event involving a congressman.”
“Officers were aware of the policies regarding campus presence, although their actions were not coordinated with university administration or communicated to students,” it said.
Tug-ani stressed that historically, UP has faced “increasing state repression, including militarization, harassment, and unlawful actions such as illegal arrests and abductions.”
“Recent incidents, such as the harassment of GASC delegates in Tacloban, red-tagging hearings of Bato dela Rosa targeting the UP community, and the recent UP-AFP Declaration of Cooperation, underscore the urgent need to protect the right to organize and dissent as well as uphold academic freedom,” it said. (CDF/LMY)