PRESS STATEMENT UP Community for Academic and Political Freedoms declares current situation as "worse than martial law" March 29, 2007 On the heels of the release of the report of UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, the CBCP call for the withdrawal of military troops in Metro Manila communities and on the eve of the Supreme Court hearing on Bayan Muna party list Rep. Satur Ocampo, a group of professors, students, administrative and research staff from the University of the Philippines as well as alumni formed the UP Community for Academic and Political Freedoms (UPCAPF) in the wake of what they refer to as the continuing "attack on academic and political freedoms" in the country. In a forum held this morning at the College of Mass Communications of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, UP Professor Dr. Ramon Guillermo read the statement which assailed the government’s barefaced denial of culpability in the face of "damning evidence and the widespread national and international consensus" that state security forces are behind the killing of hundreds of activists, lawyers, church peoples, women and children, teachers and professors and journalists. The UP community also regards as a "turn for the worse" the recent arrest and detention of Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo over trumped up charges. The UP organization sees this "complete and blatant disregard for Satur's human rights" as a bid to silence a known vocal critic of the administration. Noting that the killings continue unabated, the trampling of political freedoms of known critics of government as the case with Satur Ocampo, and the deployment of battle-ready troops in urban areas, they declare the current militarized situation as, despite the recent statements of Manila Archbishop Cardinal Rosales, "worse than martial law". They are especially alarmed over the creeping militarization of campuses. In UP alone, the group cites a number of incidents that expose this "attack on academic and political freedoms" in UP and beyond. Former UP President Francisco Nemenzo, together with other critics of the administration were charged with rebellion. The case of the missing UP students, Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, remains unresolved nine months after they were abducted by masked military men while volunteering for a farmer's organization in Bulacan. With the arrest of her husband, Professor Carolina Malay, former Professor and Chair of the Department of Journalism of the College of Mass Communication is once again facing the ordeal of state persecution that she and her husband went through during the Marcos dictatorship. The mother of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño's brother spoke were invited to speak in the forum together with President Nemenzo and Prof. Bobby Malay. They gave updates on the status of their cases and assailed the government for its abuse of power and wanton violation of their human rights. Another speaker, a representative from the Kabataan Youth Party-List Group, shared other universities' experience of miltarization in their campuses. According to her, the Philippine Army's Civil-Military Operations (CMO) Battalion held so-called Awareness and Information" drives last February 26 and March 5 at Adamson University (AU) and at the Philippine Normal University (PNU) respectively where they attacked legitimate party-list groups and organizations as labeled them as communist fronts. Last December, military personnel were also caught red-handed taking pictures and attempting to ransack the student council office of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). To demonstrate the indignation within the UP community, banners from different colleges with the signature of students, faculty and staff, that decry the violation of the people's academic and political freedoms, were unveiled. A mock book with the pictures and names of the victims of this administration was also revealed. Professors, students and staff then took their turns affixing their signature on the book as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of human rights abuses and a declaration of their committed opposition to Macapagal-Arroyo's brutal policies that violate cherished civil liberties and academic freedom. The group then vowed to join Satur Ocampo on Friday, March 30, as his case undergoes oral deliberations before the Supreme Court. They promised to register their continued protest and declared that teach-ins, symposia and other activities will be held in the coming weeks in UP. Cultural presentations from folk artist Jess Santiago and the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) cultural group also took place. --- For verification, please call Dr. Ramon Guillermo (0918-5765343) of the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature or Prof. Danilo Arao (0917-8332726) of the UP Department of Journalism. Judy M. Taguiwalo Associate Professor Department of Women and Development Studies College of Social Work and Community Development University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon CityPRESS STATEMENT UP Community for Academic and Political Freedoms declares current situation as "worse than martial law" March 29, 2007 On the heels of the release of the report of UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, the CBCP call for the withdrawal of military troops in Metro Manila communities and on the eve of the Supreme Court hearing on Bayan Muna party list Rep. Satur Ocampo, a group of professors, students, administrative and research staff from the University of the Philippines as well as alumni formed the UP Community for Academic and Political Freedoms (UPCAPF) in the wake of what they refer to as the continuing "attack on academic and political freedoms" in the country. In a forum held this morning at the College of Mass Communications of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, UP Professor Dr. Ramon Guillermo read the statement which assailed the government’s barefaced denial of culpability in the face of "damning evidence and the widespread national and international consensus" that state security forces are behind the killing of hundreds of activists, lawyers, church peoples, women and children, teachers and professors and journalists. The UP community also regards as a "turn for the worse" the recent arrest and detention of Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo over trumped up charges. The UP organization sees this "complete and blatant disregard for Satur's human rights" as a bid to silence a known vocal critic of the administration. Noting that the killings continue unabated, the trampling of political freedoms of known critics of government as the case with Satur Ocampo, and the deployment of battle-ready troops in urban areas, they declare the current militarized situation as, despite the recent statements of Manila Archbishop Cardinal Rosales, "worse than martial law". They are especially alarmed over the creeping militarization of campuses. In UP alone, the group cites a number of incidents that expose this "attack on academic and political freedoms" in UP and beyond. Former UP President Francisco Nemenzo, together with other critics of the administration were charged with rebellion. The case of the missing UP students, Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, remains unresolved nine months after they were abducted by masked military men while volunteering for a farmer's organization in Bulacan. With the arrest of her husband, Professor Carolina Malay, former Professor and Chair of the Department of Journalism of the College of Mass Communication is once again facing the ordeal of state persecution that she and her husband went through during the Marcos dictatorship. The mother of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño's brother spoke were invited to speak in the forum together with President Nemenzo and Prof. Bobby Malay. They gave updates on the status of their cases and assailed the government for its abuse of power and wanton violation of their human rights. Another speaker, a representative from the Kabataan Youth Party-List Group, shared other universities' experience of miltarization in their campuses. According to her, the Philippine Army's Civil-Military Operations (CMO) Battalion held so-called Awareness and Information" drives last February 26 and March 5 at Adamson University (AU) and at the Philippine Normal University (PNU) respectively where they attacked legitimate party-list groups and organizations as labeled them as communist fronts. Last December, military personnel were also caught red-handed taking pictures and attempting to ransack the student council office of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). To demonstrate the indignation within the UP community, banners from different colleges with the signature of students, faculty and staff, that decry the violation of the people's academic and political freedoms, were unveiled. A mock book with the pictures and names of the victims of this administration was also revealed. Professors, students and staff then took their turns affixing their signature on the book as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of human rights abuses and a declaration of their committed opposition to Macapagal-Arroyo's brutal policies that violate cherished civil liberties and academic freedom. The group then vowed to join Satur Ocampo on Friday, March 30, as his case undergoes oral deliberations before the Supreme Court. They promised to register their continued protest and declared that teach-ins, symposia and other activities will be held in the coming weeks in UP. Cultural presentations from folk artist Jess Santiago and the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) cultural group also took place. --- For verification, please call Dr. Ramon Guillermo (0918-5765343) of the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature or Prof. Danilo Arao (0917-8332726) of the UP Department of Journalism. Judy M. Taguiwalo Associate Professor Department of Women and Development Studies College of Social Work and Community Development University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City