FORMER high-ranking communist rebel Jam “Ka Amihan” Saguino has dismissed allegations of militarization at the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin), asserting that the presence of the 11th Regional Community Defense Group (11RCDG), Reserve Command of the Philippine Army, on campus is legal, longstanding, and purely civic in nature.
Saguino, once a deputy secretary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Southern Mindanao Regional Committee and former NPA guerrilla commander, issued a Facebook statement amid growing calls to remove the reserve unit from its post in Barangay Bago Oshiro, where both UP Mindanao and the 11RCDG are located.
“There is no militarization in UP Mindanao,” Saguino said. “The call to remove the 11RCDG is not a defense of academic freedom. It is an attack on a misunderstood institution that has quietly served the country for decades.”
He emphasized that the 11RCDG is not a combat or surveillance force, but a civilian-oriented group of reservists, teachers, students, engineers, farmers, and professionals who are trained to respond to calamities, conduct relief operations, and participate in civic programs.
“They are not warfighters roaming campus grounds. They are volunteer reservists… ordinary Filipinos who undergo basic training so that when disaster strikes, they can serve their community,” he explained.
Saguino noted that the Army reserve unit has been stationed in Bago Oshiro since 1957, decades before UP Mindanao was established in 1995 through Republic Act 7889. He said that since then, both institutions have coexisted peacefully within the same government-designated area.
“UP Mindanao did not get militarized. It was built beside an existing, peaceful, civilian-support unit of the AFP,” he said.
“The 11RCDG doesn’t bring violence. It brings structure, readiness, and a sense of responsibility to community and country.”
He also warned that efforts to remove the 11RCDG are part of a wider strategy by radical elements to undermine government presence and create unhampered recruitment grounds for underground communist fronts.
“This tactic is not new. Demonize the uniform. Plant the fear. Make students distrust the government. Then fill that vacuum with an alternative narrative, one that glorifies rebellion,” Saguino said.
“The real agenda is not student safety, it's about weakening state presence in civilian spaces.”
Saguino, now an advocate for national reintegration and peace, defended ROTC and reserve training programs, saying they promote discipline, preparedness, and love for the country, not militarism.
“There is nothing oppressive about helping during a flood. There is nothing fascist about evacuating people during an earthquake. There is nothing militaristic about preparing young people to serve their fellow Filipinos in times of crisis,” he said.
He concluded his statement with a strong call to support the 11th Regional Community Defense Group, asserting that its presence does not undermine academic freedom but rather ensures the protection of democratic rights in times of crisis.
To recall, earlier this week, the UP Mindanao Council of Student Leaders endorsed a resolution passed by the UPMin All Student Councils Assembly (Asca) calling for the relocation of the 11RCDG from the university grounds. The resolution is set to be deliberated during the 59th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) in UP Los Baños from August 7 to 9, 2025. Once adopted, it will form the basis for campaigns and legislative lobbying efforts across the UP system.
The resolution seeks to file a bill in the House of Representatives to reflect what student leaders describe as “legitimate demands of the UP Mindanao community.”
The RCDG, which facilitates ROTC training in the region, is situated on UP Mindanao property. However, critics within the university argue that its presence fosters campus militarization and undermines academic freedom.
Tensions escalated following the signing of a UP-AFP Declaration of Cooperation, which outlined collaborative projects between the university and military. Multiple university stakeholders, including the UP student, faculty, and staff regents, denounced the agreement, warning that it could normalize military presence and suppress dissent on campus.
In a joint statement released on August 9, 2024, they argued the declaration aligns the university with human rights violations and political repression. DEF