Defend UP! Defend Academic Freedom!

Defend UP! Junk Terror Law!

DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana sent a letter to the office of UP President Danilo Concepcion that notifies the unilateral termination of the UP-DND Accord, as an act of blatant red-tagging, campus militarization, and violation of academic freedom. According to the letter, the agreement is perceived to be “a hindrance in providing effective security, safety, and welfare of the students, faculty, and employees of U.P.”

The UP-DND accord is an agreement between UP and the government that forbids the presence of the military and the police to conduct in any campus within the UP system without prior notification to UP officials.

The UP College of Education Student Council strongly condemns the termination of UP-DND Accord, as this is a clear violation of the democratic rights and academic freedom of the University. The termination puts the safety and lives of students, faculty, and employees at a great risk. This act shows the desperate measures taken by the State just to silence the opposition and stifle the rights of the students who express dissent towards the government.

We call on the UP Administration to firmly uphold the UP-DND Accord, and to ensure that it shall prioritize to protect the welfare of its constituents. We also demand that the Duterte administration must reorient their misplaced priorities in a time of COVID-19 pandemic.

In a time of global pandemic and healthcare crisis, we cannot allow another dictator to revoke our academic freedom and right to organize.

Hands off our students! Uphold UP-DND Accord!

#DefendUP

#DefendAcademicFreedom

#NoToCampusMilitarization

#DuterteOut