‘The University of the Philippines would lose its meaning and purpose’

This was the statement issued by UP president Danilo Concepcion in response to the letter issued by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana unilaterally terminating the UP-DND accord.

Yesterday, I went to my alma mater to pay my tuition. As I was waiting in  line, staring at the flat screen waiting for my queue number to pop up on the monitor, I remembered the UP-DND accord issue. I asked myself: Why is my university doing well even though we don’t have an accord like UP? If an accord guarantees academic freedom, does that mean we do not have academic freedom?

Yes, my university has no such accord, but we enjoy academic freedom and have a good relationship with the government forces. Our campus is not as big and famous as UP but it is peaceful, beautiful and diverse. We have students from different races, nationality, religion, tribes and ethnicities, so diverse and free. We have the freedom to assemble, to speak, to criticize and to believe what we want to believe, no suppression, no accord.

So it is absurd to say that without academic freedom, the UP would lose its meaning and purpose. I don’t think so, academic freedom can still exist without an accord, speaking from experience, my university doesn’t even have that kind of accord yet we learn harmoniously.

The government forces respect us students and our university because we respect and welcome them in our sanctuary. We coordinate with them and work with them, consequently intimidating the communist and terrorist.

Personally speaking, we do not need this kind of accord. My university, along with other unis out there, stands as evidence. It will only make the university prone to terrorist and rebellion. –  Venice Samosa Casera, Western Mindanao State University