Kasunduan sa pagbabawal sa pagpapapasok ng state forces, pinutol... UP pumalag sa DND

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | January 19, 2021

“Unnecessary” at “unwarranted” umano ang pagputol ng Department of National Defense (DND) sa kasunduang pagbabawal sa pagpasok ng state forces sa mga campuses ng University of the Philippines nang walang koordinasyon sa unibersidad, ayon kay UP President Danilo Concepcion.

Pahayag ni Concepcion, "I must express our grave concern over this abrogation, as it is totally unnecessary and unwarranted, and may result in worsening rather than improving relations between our institutions, and detract from our common desire for peace, justice, and freedom in our society.

"That agreement was forged with the formalities that attend the execution of agreements, imbued with the highest sense of fidelity of the parties. It was grounded in an atmosphere of mutual respect, which we were able to maintain for 30 years through the observance in good faith of its provisions.”

Aniya pa, “Instead of instilling confidence in our police and military, your decision can only sow more confusion and mistrust, given that you have not specified what it is that you exactly aim to do or put in place in lieu of the protections and courtesies afforded by the agreement.”

Mensahe rin ni Concepcion kay DND Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, “May I urge you, therefore, to reconsider and revoke your abrogation, and request further that we meet to discuss your concerns in the shared spirit of peace, justice, and the pursuit of excellence.”

Kasunduang pagbabawal sa pagpapapasok ng state forces sa UP, pinutol na ng DND

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | January 19, 2021

Dinepensahan ni Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ang desisyon na putulin na ang “long-time agreement” ng naturang ahensiya sa University of the Philippines (UP) na pagbabawal sa pagpasok ng state forces sa mga campuses nang walang koordinasyon sa unibersidad dahil ito umano ay naging “safe haven for the enemies of the state.”

Paliwanag ni Lorenzana sa naturang termination of agreement, “The agreement has become obsolete. The times and circumstances have changed since the agreement was signed in 1989, eight years after the martial law ended. The agreement was a gesture of courtesy accorded to UP upon the University’s request.”

Aniya pa, ang UP umano ay naging “breeding ground of intransigent individuals and groups whose extremist beliefs have inveigled students to join their ranks to fight against the government. “The country’s premier state university has become a safe haven for enemies of the state.”

Ayon sa sulat ni Lorenzana kay UP President Danilo Concepcion, nakasaad na ang desisyong pagputol sa kasunduan ay dahil sa mga natanggap nilang ulat na may mga komunistang nanghihikayat diumano sa mga estudyante ng naturang unibersidad na sumapi sa kanila.

Noong November, 2020, pinabulaanan ni UP Vice-President for Public Affairs Dr. Elena Pernia ang mga alegasyong ito.

Samantala, pahayag pa ni Lorenzana, "The Department of National Defense only wants what is best for our youth. Let us join hands to protect and nurture our young people to become better citizens of our great nation.”

UP, walang ibabagsak na estudyante

ni Lolet Abania | November 26, 2020

Walang estudyante ng University of the Philippines (UP) ang makatatanggap ng bagsak na grado ngayong semester, ayon sa Office of the Student Regent (OSR) ng unibersidad.

Sa isang post sa Twitter, sinabi ng OSR ngayong Huwebes na ang UP ay magpapatupad ng no-fail-policy o wala ni isang estudyante ang magkakaroon ng grade na "4" o "5".

Gayunman, maglalabas pa rin ng guidelines ang Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

"This is an initial victory for the UP student body as we continuously fight for the most inclusive and compassionate solutions for our education! UP, pakinggan ang UP community!" ani OSR sa isang tweet.

Ito ang nabuong desisyon ng UP authorities sa gitna ng panawagan sa kanila na tapusin na ang kasalukuyang semester at ipasa ang lahat ng estudyante matapos ang sunud-sunod na bagyong nanalasa sa bansa na lalong nagpahirap sa ipinatutupad na distance learning dulot ng COVID-19 pandemic.

Mahigit sa 15,000 katao, kabilang ang 300 faculty members at higit sa 200 student organizations ang pumirma sa petisyon na pinangunahan ng student councils at mga kapanalig ng UP units, ayon sa OSR.

Nagsagawa naman ng hiwalay na signature drive ang UP Baguio, Diliman, Los Baños, Manila CAS, Visayas, Mindanao, at Open University.

Ayon sa Rise for Education Alliance (REA) ng UP Diliman, ang mga isyu sa remote learning ay natalakay nang husto dahil sa matinding problemang idinulot dito ng malawakang pagbaha sa maraming lugar sa Luzon.

"Due to the onslaught of consecutive typhoons, more members of the UP community suffer from further inaccessibility to resources such as internet connectivity and learning devices, with some students being gravely affected by the disaster," ayon sa REA.

"Amidst all of these, students are still obligated to worry about their academic deadlines instead of focusing solely on recovering from the repercussions that the recent calamities have caused, which were amplified due to the government’s negligence," dagdag ng alliance.

Gayundin, hinimok ng nasabing alliance ang pamunuan ng unibersidad na magbigay ng grade na “P” o pass para sa lahat ng naka-enroll na undergraduate at graduate students ng kasalukuyang semester.