THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has pointed an accusing finger at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) over the decision of at least 3 state universities to withdraw from their libraries, books and reading materials “donated” to them by the CPP’s other organization, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), including books authored by CPP founder, Jose Maria Sison.
“At least three universities have bowed to the diktat of the AFP and PNP over the past week, namely the Kalinga State University, the Isabela State University and the Aklan State University. In Isabela, the books were “turned over” to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA). In Aklan, the books were replaced by materials provided by the AFP,” bewailed CPP information officer, ‘Marco Valbuena, in a statement last September 24, 2021.
“Weapons in hand, they are acting like the old Nazi ideological and cultural gods—zealots with one-sided brains.
“The military and police have totally no business dictating what people should and should not read or study. Their intervention in the academe stifles learning and critical thinking and should be vigorously rejected,” Valbuena added.
But in a statement, the Kalinga State University (KSU) said they decided to pull out the books—sent to them “even without a request”—in order to safeguard their students and the university “from communist infiltration.”
All enforced book donation to KSU was pulled out and turned over to the military last September 2, 2021.
“This decision was made by the school after the Government of the Philippines through the Anti-Terrorism Council previously declared the group as a terrorist organization in July 2021, following the declaration of the CPP-NPA as terror group in December.
“Thus, all items were pulled out from the book gallery of the school and voluntarily surrendered to the hands of the joint forces of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PNP (Philippine National Police),” the KSU post read.
Subsequently, the Isabela State University (ISU) and the Aklan State University (AkSU) followed the KSU’s lead and also pulled out all CPP-NDF-Sison-related reading materials from their respective libraries.
Lawyer Marlon Bosantog, spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), along with former students who ended up being NPA terrorist fighters, lauded the universities’ initiative to rid their libraries of reading materials espousing the CPP version of history and events.
“There is no right that is being infringed upon when there is a pullout of these particular materials. Overall consideration as always will be national security and national welfare. As long as academic freedom does not infringe on national security, the pullout will always be justified,” Bosantog said during the task force’s media briefing last September 20, 2021.
He noted that among the books ‘donated’ by the CPP/NDF, are, ‘Araling Aktibista,’ ‘PADEPA’ (Pambansang Demokrasyang Paaralan) and, ‘MKLRP.’
The above are the CPP’s basic reading materials for students it targeted for recruitment.
“They provide a clear and present danger for our students,” Bosantog emphasized.
“On the issue of academic freedom, removing these materials from institutions is also an act of academic freedom, the right to teach, what to teach,” he added.
Daniel Castillo, former University of the Philippines-Diliman student and former NPA political instructor, also supported KSU’s move.
“Personally, I support the Kalinga State University in pulling out the NDFP handbooks in their library. Actually, I didn’t know that there were PADEPA materials and including MKLRP and ARAK (Araling Aktibista) and now that I know that I know that, I think it’s really a blatant attempt to radicalize the students in the state university,” Castillo said during the news briefing.
Bae Anna Jessa Mae Crisostomo, president of the Indigenous Peoples Youth Movement, said the Commission on Higher Education and SUC administrators have the right to regulate books placed in state universities or libraries.
“This had been the experience of our members who were victimized by false information and radicalization integrated in the curriculum of the so-called Lumads School or Salugpungan School, which was actually a center for the recruitment of the NPA and radicalization,” she said.
Despite these facts showing the AFP and the PNP have no hand over the universities’ decision, Valbuena persisted in blaming them, adding:
“The Filipino people should denounce these acts of censorship by the AFP and PNP in the academe.
“If unchallenged, this will set a dangerous precedent and bolster the AFP and PNP to step on more educational and cultural territories, possibly including the media, the Church and others,” Valbuena averred (with reports from the Philippine News Agency).