by Reinnard Balonzo
Bicol University (BU) - University Student Council (USC) Chairperson and Student Regent Remee Baldorado refutes allegations on them partnering with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) for the recently concluded KaPEACEtahan Peace Fair, clarifying that the BU administration made the call to grant military personnel access to university grounds.
After receiving complaints on the safety of the students amid military presence during the said event, Baldorado admitted that the administration made decisions that the USC was not aware of.
"There are assumptions kasi na kami ‘yung nagpapasok ng uniformed personnel. We don't have any authority to do so or we weren't aware na ganun po ‘yung mangyayari… May mga desisyon kasi sila [administration] na ‘di naman namin alam," Baldorado said.
She added that the USC did not have the authority nor the prior knowledge that military personnel would be bringing firearms and other war equipment. According to her, they were just tasked to organize the concert as part of the event.
"Concert lang daw sa’min kaya we gathered BUeño performers. We weren't even informed prior that the PNP will perform... We were also not informed na [magdadala] sila ng mga equipment," Baldorado further explained.
The Bicol Universitarian asked the administration regarding their take on the issue, and BU President Dr. Baby Boy Benjamin Nebres III clarified that the purpose of the event is for genuine peace and not war. He said that the partnership was essential for them to further advance the institutional goals of the university.
"Remember, the furtherance and development of any institution lies in the strong partnership [with] any NGA, NGO, and other institutions that will directly contribute to the realization of its institutional goals. I don't see [any] controversy on it. The purpose is peace, not war [and] not red-tagging. Let us give peace a chance," Nebres stated.
Nebres further argued that the partnership would help certain degree programs in the university and that the event was aimed at forging partnerships with government agencies that can help and protect the students.
"We have [a] peace studies degree program in the university and partnership with the government agency such as OPAPRU [that] is necessary to enhance the program since we are also a state-owned institution. I don't see [anything] negative [from] it unless they perceive and paint it negatively," Nebres added.
Calls for Accountability
Meanwhile, sudden security procedures such as mandatory inspection of bags at university gates alarmed some students during the event which prompted them to call for accountability from the student councils and demand vigilance among the students.
"Due to the fact nga na marami sa mga students ang nare-red-tag... They can be intimidating and [instill] fear. Hindi siya peaceful [for] me, kasi... they instill fear [through] violence... And in the first place, [do] guns and the tank [promote] peace? I don't think so," a student who requested to remain anonymous shared.
Allysah Marielle Hugo, a third-year Bachelor of Performing Arts student at BU - College of Arts and Letters (CAL), echoed the same concerns and called out the student councils to be more critical in representing the student body.
"This is a call for the student councils to be vigilant and to stand their ground with the student body to reject campus militarization... I believe that the institution must be a space where everyone [is] allowed to think, speak, and move freely without the presence of military personnel," Hugo said.
Hugo also stated that BU should be protecting the students and should not serve as a place where uniformed personnel would flaunt their military arsenals to intimidate the students.
"Bicol University should be protecting its students amidst the increasing red-tagging incidents and brutal killings in this political climate...The event was only an ulterior motive to surveil and profile students in the guise of kickstarting a peace, education, and legacy hub," Hugo added.
Demand for Explanation
Kabataan Partylist - Bicol (KPL-B) and Rise for Education (R4E) - BU Chapter called out the BU administration and the USC for letting armed forces with their war tanks roam inside the university premises during the KaPEACEtahan event.
"Nakikiisa ang Kabataan Partylist - Bicol sa mga estudyante ng Bicol University na nagpahayag ng pagkadismaya sa nangyaring “KaPEACEtahan” at sa pagpapapasok ng mga armas at tanke sa loob mismo ng unibersidad," KPL-B Spokesperson Dani De Jesus said.
She also demanded explanations from the BU admin and the USC following the controversy of the wide display of militarization inside the university premises during the event.
"Panawagan natin sa administrasyon at USC na ipaliwanag ang nangyaring “kaPEACEtahan”, at ipaglaban ang karapatan at interes ng mga estudyante. At sa mga estudyante naman ng Bicol University, be vigilant and resist," De Jesus said.
In the same event, R4E - BU claimed that the fair was a grave insult to BU students, whether activists or not, who were placed under unlawful surveillance and harassed by armed forces within and outside of the university over recent years.
They asserted that the peace fair featured nothing but a mockery of the admin's action towards the attacks that endangered the welfare of the students.
"There was nothing "festive" about the fact that reports of attacks are swept under the rug nor is there anything celebratory about the academic incursions that shrink democratic spaces on the daily. As advocates of student rights and academic freedom, we refuse to celebrate these forms of [events] that romanticize the idea of militarizing our campus grounds," R4E - BU stated.
They also prompted the event organizers to truly represent and protect the students' interests in times like this.
"Unbeknownst to the organizers of the event, the extravagant display of weapons and tanks in university spaces do not represent peace; rather, it promotes an objective basis for fear than trust for the reason being that it highlights the common fear of being harassed, tagged, or surveilled regardless of affiliations… We urge our University Student Council to truly represent the students and secure their interests and fundamental rights amid these challenges," R4E - BU added.
The Bicol Universitarian tried to contact the USC and the event organizers for further comments and explanations regarding the controversies but received no response as of writing.
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