Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday denounced the decision of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to unilaterally terminate the agreement that barred the presence of the military on the campuses of the University of the Philippines.

“I denounce the unilateral termination of the longstanding UP-DND Accord,” she said.

“Kung desidido ang administrasyon maghanap ng komunista, pagdiskitahan nila yung mga komunistang lantarang nanghihimasok sa West Philippine Sea,” Hontiveros said.

“Needlessly propping up the ‘communist bogeyman’ has always been an obscene vanity project and an excuse for their red tagging and disregard for basic human rights,” she said.

“The University of the Philippines is a bastion of student activism and its grounds must continue to be a safe space for dissent and peaceful assembly,” she added.

In a January 15 letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion, Lorenzana informed the university that the DND was terminating or abrogating the agreement.