UP president defends accord with military

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez said the state university's declaration of cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would not violate academic freedom and was consistent with the school's mandate as the country's premier institution of higher learning.

The collaboration between UP and AFP involves collaborative research, publications and capacity-building initiatives.

The project was similar to a research partnership between the UP College of Engineering and the Philippine National Police Research and Development Center, signed in June 2023.

University of the Philippines

«UP CIDS (UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies) is free to pursue research interests with AFP in areas that are relevant to UP's role, mission and mandate. This in itself is an exercise in academic freedom. The only thing required is conformity to the highest standards of academic rigor in the pursuit of truth,» Jimenez said.

Jimenez issued the statement after the initiative received criticisms from members of the UP community, saying it legitimizes ongoing suppression of critical voices and progressive initiatives within the school that the military deems inimical to its notion of «national security.»

He added that the declaration would not curtail academic freedom because UP researchers can choose and define their specific terms of engagement.

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«Any activity undertaken shall be mutually agreed upon by both participants,» Jimenez said.

Jimenez added that UP academic officials and UP CIDS researchers were willing to clarify questions and doubts through an open dialogue, particularly with those who criticized the initiative.

«We welcomed this cooperation with the AFP because UP's strength in academics and research can serve as an instrument of national unity. Our policy is engagement. The national defense establishment as an institution is not an enemy,» he said.