Civil and political groups in the Philippines have lent their weight in a growing row by condemning the government for breaking a 30-year-old agreement with the country’s top state university over allowing security forces onto its campuses.
The deal required police and the military to seek permission from administrators of the University of the Philippines (UP) if they wanted to enter its grounds.
The university, which has 32 campuses across the country, has become a hive of “clandestine recruitment” activity by communist rebels and needed saving, according to the Defence Department.
University bosses and students deny the claim, saying its an attempt to stifle freedom of expression at an institution well known for its criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s rule.
On Jan. 21, a Philippine labour coalition said protection from state forces should not only apply to places of learning.