ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | November 19, 2020
Pinabulaanan ng University of the Philippines ang mga akusasyon ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na nagre-recruit sila umano ng mga estudyante upang makilahok sa academic strike laban sa administrasyon.
Sa naganap na public address ni P-Duterte noong Martes, binantaan niyang ititigil ang pagpopondo sa state university kaugnay ng academic strike ng mga mag-aaral sa naging kapabayaan umano ng pamahalaan sa sunud-sunod na bagyong naranasan ng bansa.
Pahayag ni UP Vice- President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, "Ang UP, 'di nagre-recruit. We don’t recruit for the communist party. We are an educational institution. We teach, we do research, we do public service. We don’t recruit.
"The University of the Philippines has a history of being activist but we must make clear that the university is not anti-government. We are the national university."
Kung itutuloy umano ang pagtigil sa pagpopondo sa UP, napakaraming estudyante ang maaapektuhan nito.
Aniya, "We are a community of scholars dedicated for the nation's quest for development and we continue to serve our government. Many of our faculty are doing service for government agencies.
"Sayang 'yun. 'Yung kahusayan na nagagawa namin para sa bayan mismo ay malilimita."
Saad pa ni Pernia, "Kung may nagre-recruit man diyan, na nandiyan, it is not only one-sided na nagre-recruit.
"Is recruitment already a crime? Being activist is not a crime."
Samantala, nilinaw naman umano ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque kay P-Duterte na ang nanawagan ng student strike ay ang mga estudyente mula sa Ateneo de Manila University at hindi sa UP.
Saad ni Roque, “He also, I think, somehow confused the proponents of this academic strike. I explained it was the Ateneo students advocating the academic strike.”