Thursday, August 22, 2019

University in Iloilo seeks Army deployment in campus

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 22, 2019): University in Iloilo seeks Army deployment in campus



SOLDIERS IN SCHOOLS. Capt. Cenon Pancito III (L), chief of the 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, says on Thursday (Aug. 22, 2019) that West Visayas State University in Calinog town has requested Army deployment in their campus to maintain peace and order. Pancito assured that Army deployment in schools is meant to prevent recruitment of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) and not to deter academic freedom. (PNA photo by Gail Momblan)
ILOILO CITY -- A state university in Iloilo province has asked the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) to have personnel deployed in their campus to address issues on peace and order.

West Visayas State University (WVSU) in Calinog town invited the Army to be stationed at their academic area, Capt. Cenon Pancito III, chief of the 3ID Public Affairs Office, said in a press conference at Camp Delgado on Thursday.


“WVSU in Calinog campus has invited us to camp in their school but we will be stationing ourselves outside and not inside the campus. Anytime, we can respond to the need of WVSU,” Pancito said.

He said the school requested for the Army’s deployment not only to address the problem of students holding rallies but to also respond to the reports that the school was “slowly encroached by unauthorized personnel.”

Pancito clarified that the Army’s role in schools is to prevent the intrusion of “armed” people and strengthen the school for the students to study what they are supposed to learn.

“We will not be there teaching or forming students. We are giving them the opportunity to remove the threats from organizations (going against the government),” he said.

He said the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of the youth.

Pancito cleared that not all schools will be subject to Army deployment. “If we see no threat, we will not deploy personnel,” he said.

Based on the holdings of the Army, the schools in the northern part of Iloilo are “visited” by the CPP-NPA. The information of the Army is based on the documents seized from the rebels.

“These are the schools that we focus on,” he said, adding the Army will work together with the school administration to address the matter.

“Priority” schools on Army deployment are also identified through the presence of organizations of the CPP-NPA. Pancito named the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and Anakbayan to be organizations of the rebels.

He said the Army will be coordinating with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for these schools to be shielded from the threats of CPP-NPA recruitment.

As these organizations are being active in the University of the Philippines-Visayas (UPV), Pancito confirmed that there is indeed rebel recruitment in the academic premises.

He, however, clarified that the Army is not “singling out” the UPV as an academic institution infested with the CPP-NPA.

On Tuesday, UPV students joined the walk-out against the deployment of government security forces in campuses.

Pancito noted that the walkout joined by UPV had a “very low turn-out”.

“We would like to clarify that we are not against the right to assemble. That is their right to say what they think. As Iskolar ng Bayan, we only ask them to do first what they have to do, on top of which is to love their parents,” he said.

“We are not focused on UP, but the organizations. The name of the university is being dragged but we are not going against UP,” he added.

There is also a fine line between being “critical” and being “rebellious” to the government, he said.

Rebellion starts if one is starting to learn the “doctrines of going against democracy.”

“These are learning communism, feudalism, and all others. These are the start of going against the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, teachers who influence students to “take up arms” against the government also have liabilities.

Pancito, however, said they will first be leaving the matter to the academe and education departments as the role of the Army is to give inputs on the real situation in schools.

He assured the Army will also coordinate closely with the heads of the DepEd, CHED, provincial government, and local government units before deploying security forces in schools.

“We will give them the liberty to fix the problem on their own. However, if the problem persists, we will add more to the actions that we will be taking,” he said.

Once departments concerning education will agree to the deployment based on the inputs of the Army, the students have to abide by it, he said.

“If it is being the rule now of the DepEd or CHED or the school, more specifically, then as students we have to abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the organization. We are learned people and we know that we cannot have all under our favor,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078469

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