The University of the Philippines is known for its culture of openness and liberty. Its campus is a crucible of diversity wherein anyone (students, professors and even sidewalk vendors) can freely chose his/her belief and take his/her stand on any issues without so much reprisal from the powers-that-may-be. Because of this and the fact that it is owned by the Filipino people, the University had been open to the public. Anyone can enter its premises. There was also a time when anyone can enter a classroom and attend a class.
That same openness of the University also made it vulnerable from the criminal elements that prowl outside of its campuses. The recent murder and robbery in the UP Campus branch of Veteran’s Bank is a testament to that fact.
The University is feeling the brunt of the rising crime rate in the Metro. Aside from the perennial hazing incidents and frat wars, the UP community had to contend with thieves and snatchers that prey upon them. The worst thing is that sometimes the victims were killed by the criminals. One incident that I remembered that occurred during my college years is the murder of a student by a hold-upper near the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy building. A memorial plaque was placed on the site and it is still there, reminding everyone of the threat in the University.
The recent incident happened near the UP Bahay ng Alumni at around one pm. The place is near the track oval and is well deserted during hot afternoons. The bank also do not have much clients during that time. Most of their clients, who comes early in the morning, are old people.
The perpetrators showed the same cold bloodedness as the criminals of the Metrobank hold-up incident in Batangas. Without hesitation and warning, they shot and killed two security guards and one teller. They escaped via University Avenue with ease.
These animals do not have conscience anymore. What if they were more daring and attacked the UP campus branches of Landbank and PNB? These two banks are located on populous areas and have more money in its vaults. How many people would have died if they do strike again?
The recent incident revealed how vulnerable the University is. The UP Diliman police is understaffed to be an effective police force all throughout the campus. The UP Administration created the arnis-wielding SSB as a solution to this problem, but it is still not enough. Quezon City policemen, on the other hand, is off limits inside the campus.
The yearly budget cut also does not help because it forces the UP administration to reduce the number of its security guards.
The security inside the campus is a serious matter. The UP Admin and the community must help one another in making the campus safe. UP Diliman police must be strengthened and their numbers increased. Help must be sought from the Philippine National Police on that matter. Aside from guards being posted on important points throughout the campus, Quezon City police personnel must also be posted on the outer fringes of the campus. Posting of police other than the UP police should also be considered. Unfortunately, such plan is not easy to implement since many groups are against such things. One policeman investigating the Veteran’s Bank incident aired the irony: “’Pag pumasok kami [dito sa UP], sasabihin nila na kinikitil namin ang kalayaan nila. ‘Pag pinabayaan naman namin, Malaya naman ang mga holdaper.”
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There was a time that UP Police was considered an auxiliary of the PNP and its officers were regularly sent for police training. At that time there was still some respect for the force.
The problem is that the petrified ideology of leftists who influence much of UP’s policies with regards to security have a knee jerk reaction and equate police with militarization. This is the same attitude that makes some higher-ups who panic when they see airsofters on campus!
These ideological fossils demanded that UP Police shed the PNP uniform. They did. But did that increase the respect of students on the effectiveness of the police? No. UP Police became more of a joke than ever before!
OK some graduating geology major got stabbed and killed in a botched hold up on Beta Way. What does UP do? Practically very little to improve student safety,except check IDs upon entering buildings. UP does heaps of yak yakking on the issue in the University Council. But the student was killed OUTSIDE an academic building but WITHIN campus!
What do these fossilized ideologues want? Students bring guns to class? I am so tempted to bring high powered automatic weapons to the lab since I work at night some days. I feel unsafe. Believe me I will use an automatic weapon to defend against threats, especially threats to my person and academic freedom.(an of course to my experimental set ups) :-)
Yes UP should reconsider its MOA with the PNP.
i remember last year when we held our christmas party at the Bahay ng Alumni, one man was caught to be mingling with our group. And because most are busy watching the group presentations, and the lights quite dim, the man was almost able to get much personal belongings. Buti na lang nahuli. But sadly, the guards informed us that it’s a “usual” thing in the campus.
any thoughts on solutions, blackshama?
(i used to feel as protective as you of your experimental set-ups as with my FE-SEM, FTIR, GCMS etc. test runs in my lab not too long ago :D )
UP Vulnerable?
UP should be closed down. People are spending money for militants…leftists and communist supporters. Those who made it to government office did nothing but rob the country and the people and those who didnt, spent their time attacking the government (whoever is sitting..admin or opposition).
Juwan_D, although there are many leftists in the UP, most are not. I find the threat of mediocre students and instructors much more worthy of attention. But sadly, some UP alumni in power are what you say they are.
Daniel,
I know there are those who are not what I mentioned. However because of the huge negative effect caused by those I mentioned, observers like me can no longer see the good side of having a UP graduate…
Juwan_D, there is much more to the UP than its graduates in the government or in power.
is there?
I would love to know more about that :)
Juwan_D,
I guess that the view about UP alumni and students are stereotypical. Not all UP students are left-wing supporters. The UP population is diverse. Yes there are those who are communists inside the campus (remember JoMa Sison? our alumnus. But communism is a broad spectrum. In UP we have hard-core communists. They are those who go to the mountains and join the NPA. Then we have the middle-leftists who believe that the ideals of communism could be realized through the present system.
Another thing is that NDF and NPA supporters could also be found in other state universities like PUP. I think that they are more hardcore than the UP activists.
Blackshama,
I agree with you. The leftists in our campus are overreacting and so narrow-minded. Just look at the Philippine Collegian (UP’s campus paper. The paper is filled with too much communist rethorics. Two pages, three pages…and how many columns does the Veteran’s bank hold-up incident got? Just two columns.The paper is not serving the UP studentry.
Their ideas are petrified. They are still stuck to the ideas of twentieth century. QCPD should be allowed to patrol the premises of UP campus. The UP diliman police is not enough to address the security and safety of UP.