Albayalde: UP’s openness to PNP security training ‘a good sign’

MANILA, Philippines — The openness of the University of the Philippines for a possible training of its security officers by the Philippine National Police (PNP) is a “good sign,” PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said Thursday.

“That’s a good sign. At least they admit na talagang may problema doon. No less than the chair of the CHED (Commission on Higher Education) said na talagang may problema doon sa loob, especially the proliferation of illegal drugs,” Albayalde said in a chance interview at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

(That’s a good sign. At least they admit that there is really a problem there. No less than the chair of CHED said that there is a problem inside UP, especially the proliferation of illegal drugs.)

Albayalde said security concerns indeed exist in some UP campuses as he cited recorded cases of petty crimes,  robberies, and rape that happened inside the UP Los Baños campus in Laguna but were not reported to police.

READ: UP says open for security officers to be trained by PNP

“Even here, I am sure dito sa UP Diliman, [there are security concerns given] na napakalaking compound ‘yan, and that’s no excuse na merong proliferation of illegal drugs diyan,” he said.

(Even in UP Diliman, given that it is a big compound, I am sure that there are security concerns there, and that’s no excuse that there is proliferation of illegal drugs there.)

Albayalde explained that the security officers of the premier state university need training from the PNP since they are not trained for intelligence gathering and do not have background in the investigation and filing of criminal cases.

But Albayalde was also quick to clarify that the possible training is not a move towards the militarization of campuses. Militarization, said Albayalde, is a term being exploited by militant student groups.

Should the security training be pursued, Albayalde said it is better if it will be conducted inside Camp Crame where training facilities are available. UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia said the university is open to have police officers visit its campuses for training but only “with proper coordination.”

Albayalde said that the possible training of UP security officers, which includes members of the UP Police — the university’s own police force which is not associated with the PNP — and security guards will be discussed in the succeeding discussions with the Commission on Higher Education and UP officials.

The first installment of the series of dialogues was held on Tuesday to set the conditions in addressing the security concerns of the campuses, including the proliferation of illegal drugs, criminality, and alleged recruitment of UP students by the communist New People’s Army.

READ: PNP, top university execs hold dialogue vs drugs, communist rebellion

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, CHED Chair Prospero De Vera, University of the Philippines President Danilo Concepcion and members of the UP Board of Regents, Polytechnic University of the Philippines President Emmanuel De Guzman, and representatives from the Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University were also present in the dialogue with the PNP.

According to Albayalde, the next dialogues will focus on specific problems in specific universities that need to be engaged by the police. He said the PNP also plans to have discussions with leaders of student groups.  /muf