JOSE MARIA College Foundation, Inc. (JMCFI) students took to social media to condemn the continued presence of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on the school campus.
In the press statement posted by The Jmarian on Wednesday, Aug. 28, the PNP’s display of power and abuse of authority, violates the freedom of the students to learn and tramples their right to education.
JMCFI demanded the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, and Legal Education Board take immediate action as the inaction of these agencies could mean “oppression of academic spaces is tolerable and that students’ fundamental rights are negotiable.”
“We call on CHED, LEB, and DepEd to stand on the right side of history. Your silence amid these attacks on academic freedom and the right to education is complicit in emboldening these abuses,” it stated.
They called on the agencies, as enforcers of education policy to assert their authority and protect JMCFI against “state aggression.”
The statement cited DepEd’s National Policy Framework on Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace (DepEd Order No. 032, s. 2019) which mandates that schools should be free from armed combatants and must remain safe spaces for learners.
JMCFI is a non-sectarian school located inside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound catering to students from basic education, tertiary, and post-graduate schools.
“Their right to education is being trampled by the PNP’s unjust and intrusive presence on our campus, which has turned educational spaces into zones of fear, harassment, and intimidation,” the press statement said.
The PNP’s actions, according to the statement, which disrupted classes threaten not only JMCFI but the essence of education.
From Saturday, Aug. 24 up to press writing, classes from basic education, tertiary, Medicine, and Law School are conducted online.
Police presence continued as of press writing, as the search for Pastor Apollo Quiboloy persisted despite the temporary protection order issued by RTC Branch 15 on Aug. 27.
Photo: Bing Gonzales
