UP-DND Accord and the struggle of knowing before protesting amid the pandemic

While the state struggles amid the grave effects of endless lockdowns and crackdowns during the pandemic, attempts to suppress campus freedom still persist as the poor remote learning setup downplay the critical education of pressing issues.

In the midst of the pandemic where education is made possible by online means, walled efforts of the UP institution in educating students and professors about the UP-DND Accord lead to a certain degree of hesitation and watered-down response of its constituents in the collective call against the state's threat to the university’s academic freedom.

The UP-DND Accord, formerly known as the Sotto Enrile Accord, was signed June 30 of 1989 by then-UP President Jose Abueva and former Defense Chief Fidel V. Ramos. The accord was signed following incidents of human rights violations and armed forces’ brutality cases during Martial Law—the gravest being the illegal arrest and torture of a student and campus publication staff, Donato Continente.

For three decades, the accord has been an asset of the university—a clear reflection of the absolute practice of academic freedom. The agreement is a reassurance of the UP Community’s safeguarded tradition of dissent and critical thoughts fully practiced without fear of being sanctioned by state forces.

The agreement is now threatened to be dismissed and unanimously abrogated by the suggestion of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who labeled the accord “obsolete” and “detrimental.” Various sectors of the university are, hence, expected to be more vocal about the pending bills in the Congress that seek to institutionalize it. The ongoing mission to call for safe spaces and anti-militarization, and to bar police intrusion have been rocketed amid the pandemic.

The resulting lockdowns and remote setup complicated the conduct of mass campaigns, and forced everyone to accept that mobilizations and on-ground discussions are impossible undertakings.

“The UP System is more calculated, calibrated, and careful in issuing public statements which somehow frustrated and disappointed a critical segment of students and faculty,” College of Mass Communication professor Danilo Arao said. He also commended constituent universities UP Visayas and Los Baños’ chancellors who “courageously denounced” the unilateral abrogation and “encouraged critical analysis” of the issue.

“Police and military brutality is never an isolated case,” Arao said in a tweet, criticizing the persistence of “scalawags in uniforms” in invading safe campuses to propagate tyranny and impunity. “They should be kept out of our houses and campuses,” his tweet added.

A significant incident was the violent dispersal and illegal arrest without charges of eight UP Cebu students last June 2020 while holding a stage protest condemning the Anti-Terror Bill. Nar Porlas, then Anakbayan UP Cebu chairperson, was one of those dissenters jailed for three long months.

“It was alarming, especially if we add into account how this government has been hot on our trails for years because our university has been widely known for being a safe haven of dissent and activists,” she said.

Porlas considered the chances of the accord being abrogated to be high, thus putting the security of student leaders, professors, and the entire student body at risk.

“I do agree that the collective call in fighting for keeping the UP-DND Accord is loud, I just don't think we are loud enough about it—especially the university administrators. I don't think they are actually listening to the calls of their students and some professors,” she said, recalling how UP Cebu had allowed military presence within the campus twice—the other time involving the Lumads.

Watered down responses that possibly root from virtual challenges have the same weight as the implication of the abrogation. Fading voices and weakening dissent force open the way for attacks on academic freedom, liberal education threats, perpetuating human rights violations, and the culture of impunity to slowly intensify inside every UP premise—sooner or later inside every Philippine university.

Only through persevering assertion of human rights and demanding for and upholding the institutionalization of the UP-DND Accord in loud and strong voices will the issue resolve. Collective action that comes from educated dissenters who acknowledge the weight of the problem and stand in solidarity has proven effective to assert basic rights and freedom.

“Any misunderstanding or lack of comprehension cannot be conveniently rooted in being too young,” Arao said, delimiting the lack of “benefit of hindsight” and direct experiences as major reasons for not joining the united call.

His sentiments align with Chad Booc, a political prisoner from ALCADEV Lumad School who acknowledges virtual educational discussions for people to access and gain sufficient knowledge on critical issues.

“The depth of educating and making people comprehend pressing issues is compromised since it is communicated virtually. But on the other side, there have been increasing chances of middle-class people to gain knowledge as Educational Discussions are everywhere and it can be seen that people are gradually going back on ground as they adjust to the current setup,” he said.

It was the imposed lockdowns that greatly affected student leaders and activists like Porlas and Booc in educating, organizing, and mobilizing people. Fewer dissenters have gone on-ground as they take time adjusting to the current setup, and less manpower weakens the noise that is supposed to be deafening.

While it is indeed a challenge to educate every member of the UP community given the limited virtual means, individual initiative to care is still expected as the success of the issue lies in the absolute practice of the freedom we have always been fighting for⁠—one that no one should take away from us.