PNoy on Abad mobbing: UP must promote responsibility, civility

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday reacted to the incident at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman where Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was "mobbed" by a group of student-activists.

Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr., who is with Aquino in Europe, said the President has been informed of the incident on Wednesday.

"He believes that as the premier university, the UP is expected to promote responsibility in the exercise of the freedom of expression and civility while engaging in political discourse," Coloma said in a note shared by state-run People's Television Network in its social media accounts.

"This may be an opportune time to reassess the implications to an institution of higher learning when a political forum degenerates into mob rule," Coloma added.

In a statement, Abad said he appeared as a speaker in the UP Balitaktakan ED Series. He said he gladly accepted the invitation since a previous budget forum the he attended in the university "proved very fruitful."

Abad said he also wanted to take the opportunity to reach out to UP Diliman students, "especially since they've taken a very active role in demanding better governance from the Philippine bureaucracy."

"I expected that a discussion on the National Budget in such a venue would make for an interesting and lively exchange. By sharing insights and trading ideas with the UP student body, I knew that we could work collectively so that the National Budget could be more effective in serving the public," said Abad.

When he was leaving the event venue, however, Abad said there was a mob advancing towards him and his staff. He was also informed that he would engage in a dialogue with members of the group Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP).

"Once I began approaching the STAND UP group, however, the protesters—who were around 50 to 60 strong—did not engage me in dialogue. Instead, they surrounded me aggressively as I made my way towards the vehicle. I had objects thrown at me, and one student even attempted to grab me by the collar," Abad said.

The budget chief described the behavior of STAND UP as "very disappointing."

"I wholly understand that fighting for the welfare of our country is often an emotional and passionate pursuit. But there is no place here for violence and aggression, and especially not in an academic environment," he said.

According to the militant group Anakbayan, the protesters chanted "Magnanakaw" before Abad and hurled crumpled paper with signs saying "?#?DAPatManagot?, Noynoy patalsikin!"

"How dare him go to UP and tell us his lies! Plunderers and holDAPers are not welcome here. Butch Abad and Aquino should be held accountable for their crimes. Para iyon sa mga ninakawan, sa mga tinanggalan ng karapatan makapagpaospital, para sa mga kabataan na ninakawan ng kinabukasan! Patalsikin si Noynoy at Abad!" Charlotte France, STAND-UP member, was quoted as saying in an article posted on the website of Anakbayan.

Abad is considered as the brains of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), an economic stimulus package introduced by the Aquino administration in 2011.

Aiming to boost the economy, the DAP pooled government savings of various offices and realigned them to other projects.

The Supreme Court declared key practices under the DAP as unconstitutional and ruled that proponents of the fund scheme can be held liable.

Abad was urged to step down from his post over the controversy while an impeachment case was filed against Aquino.