A revocation of trust

THE Enrile-Soto Accord signed in 1989 was clear in its wording. The military and the police, including paramilitary forces, can gain access inside any of the campuses of the University of the Philippines only with the permission of university authorities. As such, it is not accurate to say that UP forever bars entry to uniformed government personnel. Rather, there is a principled understanding that the government grants UP, which technically is also a government agency, the authority to maintain peace and order inside its own jurisdiction.

Thus, it is shocking to find out that the Department of National Defense (DND) has unilaterally revoked the agreement and declared that from now on, the military, police and paramilitary forces of the government can freely enter UP’s premises, even set up their own checkpoints and conduct their own operations there even without securing permission from UP authorities.