Campuses express outrage at being linked to Reds

UNIVERSITIES tagged as being among the recruitment grounds for communist rebels have criticized the military in separate statements.

“The UP Diliman University Student Council strongly condemns this blatant act of red-tagging students of these universities. It is a clear threat to the students who bravely criticize the government, and the President himself, (Rodrigo R. Duterte),” read the council’s statement on Thursday, Oct. 4.

“The unlawful harassment and the clearly baseless allegations of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) coupled with the recent order of Duterte to ‘neutralize the CPP’ is undeniably a great threat to the safety of those labeled as members of such group,” the student body also said.

Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) said in its statement, “Absent any proof or factual basis, the statement by the AFP should be rectified immediately. Such statement undermines the safety and security of the students of Emilio Aguinaldo College as they are now looked upon as possible communists or rebels.”

University of Santo Tomas (UST) SecretaryGeneral Jesus Miranda said in a statement through The Varsitarian on Oct. 3, “Siguro ang point dito ay kailangan muna ma-prove na bakit kasama ang UST.

Ano ang proof na kasama siya? You (AFP) have to prove it.”

He added that AFP might be “stereotyping... because we are a Catholic university and there is a perception that we are against the present government. Is that why we are being tagged?”

The student council of the University of the East-Manila said in its statement, “We are one with all the Filipino People who want a more efficient and effective administration that puts the welfare of the citizens first before the interests of the few. Moreover, we will address the issue and coordinate with our administrators to assure that we, students, are practicing our rights in accordance with what is enshrined in our laws.”

The statement also read, “The USC calls...our fellow students to be more vigilant and more critical regarding information that surface on social media platforms. We want to remind everyone that our voice is powerful, let us use it judiciously.”

In an interview with DZMM on Thursday morning, General Carlito G. Galvez Jr., AFP chief, said the military is still validating the list of universities.