In their fight to preserve academic freedom, the University of the Philippines has been in constant turmoil with the government.
Recently, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana terminated the UP-DND accord. With the abolished agreement, state forces can now enter the university’s campuses without the need for prior permission or notification to the school’s administration.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has released an ‘erroneous list’ as part of the government’s campaign to retagging rebels. It included alumni of the institution as part of the New People’s Army (NPA).
According to the AFP’s Information Exchange’s Facebook page, names of individuals from UP are listed and identified as part of the insurgent’s group. According to the national army, these people, despite being alive, were NPA members who got killed or captured.
However, the so-called information was baseless as proven. Those red-tagged individuals have discussed among themselves whether to file cyber libel and contempt charges against AFP.
This disinformation and fake news has been circulating over social media in defense of the military’s action.
The attempt of the government to produce compelling results that their anti-insurgency propaganda is working is failing miserably. They even attempted to use private photographs of UP graduates without asking permission.
In a now-deleted Facebook post of Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Marie T. Badoy, she used the graduates’ photos without informing them. She also wrote how they were not influenced by the NPA during their stay at the university.
Not only using private photos without permission, but dragging UP grads into @ntfelcac 's anti-insurgency propaganda. Please look into this, @PrivacyPH#PrivacyPH pic.twitter.com/XBBR3OOlXR
— Roby Alampay (@robyalampay) January 29, 2021
However, it backfired as the individuals mentioned commented on the post stating that they were not asked prior to the post that their photos would be used as an example of the government’s propaganda.
One of the UP grads who were used as an example by the government took to Twitter to clarify things.
TJ Tenedero wrote on his Twitter account that they did not get his permission prior to posting and using it for their propaganda.
https://twitter.com/TJTenedero/status/1354968627263336450
This kind of disinformation, where many people tend to believe without verifying it first, is very dangerous. For journalist Atom Araullo, this is the government’s attempt on trying to pin UP as an NPA recruitment ground by using disinformation.
Brazen attempt at disinformation. https://t.co/IX5Qew8KLY
— Atom Araullo (@atomaraullo) January 29, 2021
Students of the University of the Philippines are being put at risk as they become suspects in the eyes of state forces. With them being accused of terrorism because they know how to voice out their rights, is seemingly unfair for a democratic country such as the Philippines.
Students and products of the state university shall enjoy the rights bestowed upon them by the Constitution. The government should not use dirty tactics just to make people hate them.
