“Unsa man makada-ut ana kung mobisita ang military sa schools wala man? Kung ang ilang role is to inform sa mga estudyante, nganong dili man pwede (I don’t think there is anything wrong with the military visiting schools. If they are there to inform students, why not)?” he quipped.

Maria Carla Alvarico, chairperson of the Cebu chapter of the CEGP and a close friend of Palang, expressed her fears that the presence of the military in academic institutions would increase the cases of political repression among youth activists.

“Progressive youth organizations have always been the target of the government’s anti-insurgency campaign. The military’s presence in schools is not merely to educate the students on their role in peace keeping but rather to spy on student activities, to instill fear among our young people and to discourage the active involvement of students in national issues,” Alvarico said.

In addition, Alvarico revealed that the educational campaign that the military conducts in schools also includes harassing progressive campus organizations. “They usually single us out, telling students that we are fronts of the CPP-NPA. One time they even flashed pictures of our chapter officers tagging them as rebels,” she said.

“We are now calling on the officials of CHED to discourage schools from opening their doors to these malicious ‘educational forums’ conducted by the military as this is tantamount to making the harassment of freedom-loving students acceptable,” Alvarico concluded. (Bulatlat)

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