UP Diliman is not Barangay UP Campus, says university official

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified Barangay UP Campus as one of the “crime hotspots” in Quezon City, citing a prevalence of index and non-index crime incidents in the area.

That was the reaction of the PNP to widespread criticisms against the decision of the Department of National Defense (DND) to terminate its 1989 accord with the University of the Philippines Diliman, which barred police and military personnel from entering UP campuses.

But UP Diliman is not Barangay UP Campus, Dr. Elena Pernia, UP Diliman vice president for public affairs,  explained to INQUIRER.net in a telephone interview.

“When you say UP Diliman, it refers to the academic institution. UP Diliman is headed by the chancellor. Then it also has UP System offices,” Pernia pointed out in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, partly in Filipino.

“UP Diliman also has various buildings, housings. […] But when you talk about Barangay UP Campus that’s an LGU,” she added.

In other words, Barangay UP Campus is under the jurisdiction of the local government and its law enforcers.

Barangay UP Campus, which is in Quezon City’s Fourth District, is inside UP Diliman, which is also surrounded by other communities of informal settlers.

Pernia also noted that the UP Diliman campus has extends through several barangays in Quezon City — Krus na Ligas, San Vicente, Botocan, Culiat, Old Capitol Site, Pansol, and Vasra.

The UP Diliman campus has its own police force, which, according to the UP official website, is tasked with the “protection of lives and property, the maintenance of peace and order, the enforcement of laws and the suppression of crimes” in the university.

Members of the UP Diliman Police are also mandated to enforce university policies, rules and standards.

They are also in charge of directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic on campus.

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