Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa claimed Tuesday that most university students, or about 90 percent of them, were pro-government, while the remaining 10 percent were leftists or communists.
Despite this, Dela Rosa lamented that students were being “deprived” of a chance to get closer to the government as police and military men were prohibited from entering their schools.
The former national police chief, however, provided no data for making such a statement.
“Ang atin lang diyan is give the government equal access para kasi, halimbawa 100 percent university students ng UP, ilan lang diyan ang gustong maging komunista?” he said in an interview with Senate reporters.
[All we want is give the government equal access because, let’s say 100 percent of UP students, how many of them would really want to become communists?]
“Being a communist is not illegal. Mahalaga maging komunista ka. Pero siguro mga 10 percent lang ang pinakamalaki diyan.”
[Being a communist is not illegal. It’s also important. But I think the biggest number is only 10 percent.]
“Mayroon pa ring 90 percent na maka-gobyerno and itong mga bata na ito, they were deprived of the chance to become closer to the government na gusto nilang pagsilbihan dahil binabawalan ngang makapasok ang mga pulis, ang sundalo,” he further said.
[There are still 90 percent who are pro-government and they were deprived of the chance to become closer to the government that they want to serve because the police and military are not allowed entry.]
At present, only those recruiting communists are allowed entry in schools, said Dela Rosa, who previously headed the Philippine National Police.
“Ang libre lang makapasok dun sa kanilang campus na mag-recruit na maging NPA [New People’s Army] ay yung kaliwa. Ang ating gobyerno bawal. It’s unfair,” he said.
[Only the leftists are allowed entry into campuses to recruit those who want to join the NPA. Our government is not allowed. It’s unfair.]
The senator’s rants were prompted by a reporter’s question about the University of the Philippines professors’ reported campaign against a Senate panel report, allowing, among others, the occasional presence of police forces in school premises.
Committee Report No. 10 was drafted by the Senate Committee on Public Order, which is chaired by Dela Rosa as lead investigator in the alleged recruitment of students by leftist groups.
READ: Senate report: Occasional police presence needed in schools
READ: Senate panel seeks probe of solon, 7 others over recruitment of minors
But Dela Rosa defended the report, saying it was neither picked out of thin air nor fabricated just because he was going after the communists.
The report, he said, was produced after a “lengthy, and exhaustive” probe.
“No, hindi ako galit ako sa kanila. Kung kumunista ka man, wala akong pakialam. Kung aktibista ka, wala akong pakiaalam sa’yo. Pero pag ginawa mo nang rebelde ang isang minor, may pakiaalam ako dyan dahil ayaw kong masisira ang kinabukasan ng ating kabataan,” the senator said.
[No, I’m not angry at them. If you’re a communist, I don’t care. If you’re an activist, I don’t care. But it becomes my business when you make a minor a rebel because I don’t want anyone to destroy their future.]
“Huwag na tayong magkunwari. Matagal niyo nang nililinlang ang taumbayan. Sobra na, tama na. Niloloko niyo mga kabataan. Dinadala niyo sa bundok. Ginawa niyong armado,” he added.
[Let’s stop pretending. You have been fooling the people. Enough is enough. You are misleading the youth. You’re bringing them to the mountains and arming them.]
Dela Rosa stressed that the government had no plans of curtailing academic freedom as it would only want to have equal access to university students.