Members of the Philippine National Police went to the home of UP Diliman (UPD) University Student Council (USC) Chairperson Jonas Abadilla in Muntinlupa City yesterday, supposedly probing the student leader’s whereabouts and family background.
In a screenshot posted by Abadilla on Twitter, his mother informed him that the police officers have been looking for the student leader and proceeded to talk to his uncle, a barangay secretary in Muntinlupa City. Fearing for the safety of her son, Abadilla’s mother advised him to “lie low” from his involvement in the campaigns for the upcoming elections.
While the motive of the police officers is still unclear, Abadilla said that this incident might be connected to his work as the USC chairperson. Abadilla also revealed that the unsolicited visits by the police have been happening since November.
Abadilla has been leading the UPD community in its campaign against the Marcos-Duterte tandem in the upcoming elections. He was also involved in protests against the passage of the Anti-Terror Law and mobilizations for the deaths of Lumad schools volunteer teachers and UPD alumni Chad Booc and Jurain Ngujo in the hands of the military.
Abadilla is not the only UP student leader approached by state agents in their homes. In 2018, police officers intruded into the UPD campus to extract information and search for former student regent Ivy Taroma. A year later, a military agent left a letter containing death threats on the doorsteps of former Engineering Student Council Chairperson Ralph Baguinon's home.
President Rodrigo Duterte has previously red-tagged UP students, threatening to defund the university for supposedly “recruiting” for the Communist Party of the Philippines. In 2021, Department of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana unilaterally terminated the UP-DND Accord, falsely claiming that UP is among the recruitment "hotbeds" of the New People's Army.
The UPD Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs has already provided a set of protocols on how UPD students can report any incidents of red-tagging to the designated student relations officer (SRO). The SRO will coordinate with the student, along with the crisis management team to document and investigate the incident.
Once the incident is confirmed, the university’s public affairs unit shall publicly condemn the incident. The crisis management team will contact the student in filing legal action and coordinating with PNP and barangay authorities.
Abadilla said that they are coordinating with their relatives and legal counsels to look into the possible legal actions they can undertake. He also maintained that he will not be deterred by this incident from campaigning against the Marcos-Duterte tandem and fulfilling his duties as a student leader.
“Kino-condemn natin ang ganitong klaseng panititik sa mga student leaders especially ngayon na palala nang palala na ang political crisis sa ating bansa lalo na’t papalapit nang papalapit na ang eleksyon,” Abadilla said. “Mahalagang mag-remain vigilant sa lahat ng nangyayari sa lipunan especially sa kapwa kong mga lider-estudyante na patuloy tumitindig laban sa tiraniya at pagbabalik ng diktadura.” ●
