THE UST Central Student Council (CSC) criticized on Nov. 6 the University’s supposed partnership with state bodies that have a record of red-tagging activists, amid a forum that tackled “terror-grooming” and the recruitment of students by progressive groups.
In a statement, the CSC lashed out at the decision to include the National Security Council (NSC) in the forum organized by the Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB), even after the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was excluded from the event.
“The [NSC], an agency that shares its (NTF-ELCAC) narratives and operations, continues to push through as one of the partner organizers. This development does not resolve the concern; rather, it underscores the persistent effort of state forces to infiltrate academic spaces under the guise of ‘peace and development,’” the statement read.
The council said the University should remain a “sanctuary of truth, reason, and critical thought,” and should not give space to “state propaganda” that supposedly cultivates fear.
“UST must not enable narratives that justify violence and repression in the name of security,” the statement read.
Continued association with the NSC and NTF-ELCAC undermines the University’s duty to foster social responsibility and justice, the CSC claimed.
The UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education, one of the event’s co-organizers, withdrew earlier last week and told the Varsitarian that the participation of the disputed task force was not disclosed to it.
On Monday, Political Science Chair Dennis Coronacion told the Varsitarian that the NTF-ELCAC was dropped from the forum after a “lengthy discussion” between the NSC and AB officials.
