Sun.Star Pampanga

On military’s plan to monitor students

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WHILE it failed to monitor and hold account able its rogue elements alleged by the peasants to be harassing and attacking their communitie­s, the Armed Forces of the Philippine­s (AFP) Central Command plans to venture into an endeavor that would potentiall­y disregard basic democratic rights of students.

The Central Command announced that it would closely monitor students in Cebu to prevent them from being recruited by communist armed groups. This plan came days after MylesAlbas­in, a UP Cebu alumna, along with five others were arrested in the hinterland­s of Mabinay, Negros Oriental. State authoritie­s, through the 62nd IB, alleged that the six were members of the New People’s Army.

The timing and intent of such a plan, however, reveals how the military undermines the basic legal processes and democratic rights of students.

Without having been proven otherwise, Myles and the five others are already being implicated by the military to be armed militants unworthy to be emulated by the students and the youth.

The announceme­nt of such a plan (to monitor students from being recruited by armed groups) helpfully laid the basis for a prejudiced opinion against the six.

The military seemingly orchestrat­ed a hype that blatantly discredits not only the accused but above all our cherished processes.

What is obvious here is the trial by publicity that in no way shows respect and recognitio­n to the due process of law. To monitor the sudents, we should be reminded, is primarily the task of civilian authoritie­s in colleges and universiti­es.

In no way should the military or the police make monitoring of students a part of their job descriptio­n lest we accept that, similar to the days during Marcos’s martial rule, we and our students were likewise subjected to the same military measures.

The universiti­es are not spaces for the cultivatio­n of fear but bastions of critical and creative thinking. In this regard, the students, especially at a time when our dearly cherished democratic ideals are slowly being emasculate­d by a self-professed

dictator, must be given the space for free and critical thinking, and practice their constituti­onally provided right to peacefully assemble and join organizati­ons.

Without an inch of prejudice, we urge the military to respect these fundamenta­l rights of students. In the end, the task of safeguardi­ng our youth’s welfare is a communitar­ian and not a mere military endeavor.

Most importantl­y, this endeavor must comprehens­ively take into account issues that may potentiall­y spark radical sentiments among the youth.

These are socio-economic issues that have been plaguing the nation and depriving the best and the brightest of our youth from having a bright future: high cost of education, contractua­lization, depressed wages, forced migration, political repression, among others. Only by a comprehens­ive treatment amd a genuine concern of these issuescan we really guarantee our youth from being safe. (Signed by Prof. Regletto Aldrich Imbong, Dr. Leny Ocasiones, Hes Mailo Capangpang­an, Niño Olayvar, Prof. Januar Yap, Prof. Melanie Patino, Dr. Phoebe Zoe Maria Sanchez, Prof. Noe Santillan, Prof. Daryl Mendoza, Prof. Jenneth Borlasa and Dexcem Pantinople)

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