QC cops want to patrol UP
By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:24am (Mla time) 11/20/2008

MANILA, Philippines – The chief of the Quezon City Police District Wednesday said that policemen should be allowed to patrol the grounds of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, to stop the increasing number of crimes on campus.

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I personally would not let the Philippine National Police into the UP campus.

UP, known for its activism, rallies, and demonstrations, upholds academic freedom and the right to freely express opinions and grievances, especially about and against issues that mostly involves the government. To some degree the UP administration painfully tolerates such actions by the students and the faculty, and all views from right to left are open (but not necessarily accepted).

By letting PNP patrol our campus would hinder our constitutional freedoms, as we will all well be under scrutiny and suspect of the forces assigned to protect us. Having PNP inside the campus would walk on the constitutional rights of the students; everybody will be a suspect. We might as well let them watch us, ID us, and report to intelligence whatever suspicious things they believe to see in us.

I ask: if you are in danger, would you let someone else hold the gun for you? Personally I would rather arm myself than arm someone else, though as a matter of taste I hate guns and the thought of carrying firearms.

Letting PNP forces into the campus is a symbolic action on other state universities and colleges, that if we do it, the PNP will have more reason walk inside other campuses (UP let us, why won't you?).

It does not help either that PNP and the military forces are suspect in the kidnappings (and possibly even killings) of student activists of different state colleges and universities, not just UP. We should not let our guard down especially during this regime of an illegitimate president that blinds herself that no human rights are trampled on in the disappearances and deaths of activists, journalists, and rights advocates.

PNP is under and controlled by the government that we students are very critical of, so much that in voicing opinions students take the fight to the streets. We have seen what the PNP can and does during demonstrations in the metro; one can only imagine what they will do once they try to "secure" UP during rallies (which are generally loud but still peaceful, as nobody gets harmed anyway, except egos at least, of those being criticized).

Should police forces trample on UP students' rights, our pleas for justice will fall on deaf (and undeniably stupid) ears--the justice department being controlled by none other than the puppet who does not understand the concept of freedom.

So let us not put ourselves into those situations where we can be held under scrutiny and force by the Philippine National Police.

Increasing number of crimes within campus is not reason enough to let the PNP loose into our grounds. What we need to do is to reinforce our own police and equip them enough to fight the crime happening within the campus.