IN WHAT could be an ironic twist of fate, Congress on September 21, 2021, the day Pres. Ferdinand Marcos placed the entire country under martial law in 1972 to protect the State from succumbing to communist rule and its allies among the country’s elite, passed on third and final reading, HB 10171—that would not only restore, but rather, institutionalize, the control and influence of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) over the country’s premier state university.
What better way for the CPP and its allies and minions in Congress to send the message that martial law failed to defeat the CPP than to pass a measure proclaiming their staying power on the same day the government decided to save the Republic from the menace they posed to society?
And to claim that with 176 congressmen supporting the bill, that it is the “sentiment” of the majority of our people is wrong.
The way we see it, the congressmen who voted along with the CPP front members in Congress, the Makabayan Bloc, are either stupid, lacking in genuine love for our country or plain political opportunists; they voted for the measure in order to gain the CPP’s favor and the protection of its private armed thug, the New People’s Army (NPA) at the start of the campaign season next year. And yes, they can be all of the above, right?
When the ‘UP-DND Accord’ was signed in 1989, it was on the premise that UP management would exercise the responsibilities that went along with it, with vigilance.
This, by making sure that the UP campuses should not be a breeding ground for violent extremism and for those wanting to overthrow the government by any means—thru trickery, treachery and violence.
Clearly, the UP management has failed everyone’s expectations, especially the expectations of the mothers and families of students who ended up as CPP cadres and NPA terrorist fighters.
Thus, the government, thru defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, has done the right thing when he unilaterally abrogated the accord last January 15, 2021.
Secretary Lorenzana should be praised too, for standing his ground on the matter despite the pressure from many sides that he had to put up with to convince him to change his position.
Our lawmakers would be better justified in spending the people’s money for their pleasure and leisure by following Sec. Lorenzana’s lead.
For once, they should stop putting their narrow selfish and political interests first and put those of the country first and those of the families that had been destroyed or would soon be destroyed, courtesy of the innocent sounding phrase, “academic freedom,” which HB 10171 purportedly sought to protect.
And we need not name the victims of CPP recruitment at UP here; their tragic fates and sad stories are now all readily available to anyone interested enough.
Suffice it to say that like illegal drugs, the radicalization of UP students and elsewhere should be seen as among the country’s leading home wreakers and a serious threat to our national security.
It is a “stake” pointed at the “brain” of the State as it is targeting the hearts, minds and faculties of the future leaders of our country. Congress, be warned.