The House Committee on Higher and Technical Education on Wednesday approved the bill institutionalizing the 1989 University of the Philippines-Department of National Defense (UP-DND) Accord into the UP Charter.
The committee chaired by Baguio City Rep. Mark Go approved the committee report on the substitute bill that would amend Section 11 of Republic Act 9500, or the UP Charter of 2008.
The measure, which was approved subject to style and amendments by the panel, substituted House Bill 8437 authored by Deputy Speaker Eduardo Villanueva, HB 8515 by Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, and HB 8545 by Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago.
Among the salient amendments was the provision which states that “prior notification should be given by the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, or any other law enforcement agency intending to conduct any police, military, or law enforcement operation in any UP campus nationwide to the UP President or the Chancellor of the constituent university or dean of the college concerned, or the respective officer-in-charge, in the event of their absence, as the case may be, when the situation so warrants.” However, DND Atty. Norma Daanoy told the committee the department is not supporting the whole bill, citing legal and constitutional questions.
“This is not an issue of the academic freedom; UP has all the academic freedom it wants. This is not an issue of freedom of expression; UP can exercise this right and being protected by the Constitution. UP is an autonomous educational institution, we believe that the issue involved here is protection of the students from being recruited by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army,” she said.
“We have to stop or deny the CPP-NPA from recruiting our students. This is not just a law enforcement [exercise]. This is a matter of national security,” Daanoy stressed.
But Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said there is no Constitutional infirmity on the questioned provision.