The fear that his children will be recruited by communist rebels was the reason why outspoken Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr. did not send them to the University of the Philippines (UP).
Parlade is the controversial military officer and spokesman of the government’s anti-communist insurgency who was accused of engaging in a Red-tagging spree that include people in the academe, the movie industry, media, and the legal profession.
“I wanted to send my kids to UP after they passed the UPCAT (College Admission Test) but I couldn't, knowing the danger of them getting influenced or being recruited,” said Parlade in a social card uploaded on the Facebook page of the Southern Luzon Command which he heads.
“I cannot trust UP. Loco parentis won’t work for me,” he added.
The principle of loco parentis states that the enrolment of children to the schools means that their parents delegate some responsibilities to the schools and that includes the liability of the schools.
Parlade also blamed the UP-Department of National Defense (DND) accord as the reason why he does not feel that his children will be safe in UP.
The UP-DND accord, also known as the Soto-Enrile agreement, requires the military to seek permission from UP authorities first before they can enter the campus for any operation.
The agreement does not say that the soldiers are banned from any UP campuses as it only states that coordination is needed in order to ensure the protection of the UP community, particularly the students.
The agreement stemmed from a military operation inside the UP campus during the Martial Law years wherein a student, a writer for the University publication, was arrested inside UP Diliman and was later linked to the death of an American military officer.
Parlade said that he was forced to send his children to private schools instead.
“I am also a taxpayer. Why can’t I force my child to UP just because of an accord? So yes, we support the abrogation of the accord and make UP and all other schools safer for our children,” said Parlade.
“Enough of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) deception,” he said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana unilaterally abrogated the accord, saying the UP has become a breeding ground for fighters of the New People's Army NPA).