The “declaration of cooperation” between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) signed on August 8 elicited widespread denunciation. It is a brazen violation of academic freedom, critics said.

The university’s entry into this agreement would make UP complicit in widespread human rights violations and political repression perpetrated by the AFP, its opponents said. This legitimizes the current repression of critical voices and progressive initiatives within the university which the AFP calls a threat to “national security.”

Defend UP. Students of UP Diliman launched the “First Day Fight” on August 20 to codemn the various failures of the university. They also opposed budget cuts on education and the commercialization of university spaces and services. They rejected police and military intervention in its campuses. Similar protests were conducted in other UP campuses in Baguio, Manila, Laguna, Davao, Cebu and Iloilo in the past weeks.