From the Inquirer, Palace, Abad blast UP campus mob, September 19th, 2014,
“Once I began approaching the Stand UP group, however, the protesters—who were around 50 to 60 strong—did not engage me in dialogue. Instead, they surrounded me aggressively as I made my way toward the vehicle. I had objects thrown at me, and one student even attempted to grab me by the collar.”
Abad was also pelted with coins and the collar-grabbing incident happened as he was getting into his car, according to other accounts gathered by the Inquirer.
The Secretary was still lucky because he was protected by UP's private
security guards. Otherwise, he may have been dragged and punched. The event was organized by the UP Student Council (USC) and venue was the UPSE auditorium. The hooligans are reportedly from the Student Alliance for the Advancement
of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP).
These minority violent activists -- the majority are non-violent, listened to his presentation, asked questions and more questions, and that's it -- maybe they were trained precisely for violence and stupidity.
Again, I am no fan of Sec.
Butch Abad and the fiscal irresponsibility of this and past administrations, But these things can be shown and exposed in public fora, peacefully and with civility, no shouting with invectives nor resorting to violence.
I like this opinion by Atty. Mel Sta. Maria.
A friend, Prof. Bong Mendoza of the UP Political Science Department, tagged me his facebook comment, "Aren't violating the Constitution and hooliganism crimes?
And the former is the graver crime? The much graver crime?So why is A Bad Baby crying and complaining?"
I commented that the Secretary was not "crying and complaining." It was the UPSE faculty members who issued the strong statement indirectly saying, "Hooligans, do your thing outside UP, or outside UPSE. He was formally invited, he agreed to come, treat him as a guest like you treat a guest in your house or party."
If one is invited in a forum to speak on his controversial, "politically incorrect" position, and some guys dislike his ideas and start shouting and throwing things at him, drag and punch him if possible, one would not be happy with it.
Two of Bong's friends came to defend the hooligans. I did not ask for their permission to use their comments, so I will not give their names. Nonetheless, I think their arguments are worth posting so readers can see another side of the coin.
(1) HD said,
Abad was no ordinary "guest." He is one of the
country's most powerful public officials, with apparent control over P3
trillion pesos and a huge say in how the entire apparatus of the state, which
has relative monopoly over the legitimate use of violence in the country, is
run. More than that, he is responsible for crafting a scheme which the Supreme
Court has found unconstitutional and which many people consider undemocratic at
best and immoral at worst. He is therefore accountable to the public and to the
people wherever he goes.
But to use the inappropriate analogy, is it really true
that we should always and everywhere treat guests with respect? Doesn't it
depend on the context--on who the guest is and what he has done? Suppose, to
use an analogy that is extreme but that drives home the point, Hitler or Stalin
or Bin Laden or Marcos were invited to UP? Should we just bow down to them in
respect and treat them like "guests"? No, we have every right, even a
moral obligation, to make them feel anything but welcome.
As for being invited to a forum and then suddenly being
accosted by my audience, does it not again depend on the context: on what you
say during the forum or what you've done before it? If, to use another
extremely analogy, I suddenly started yelling 'Kill all the Jews" or
"Kill all Muslims", or for that matter if I tell outright lies
misleading my audience, then I think my audience have every right--even a moral
obligation--to be angry at me and denounce me. If, to use a closer analogy,
before coming to the forum I orchestrated a scheme that effectively trashed
democracy by usurping the power to decide how to spend hundreds of billions of
people's money--then got away with it with impunity, should I really expect my
audience to be nice to me or to kiss my feet?
"Why the sudden regard of UP Econ faculty on courtesy in
exchange of ideas in pious solicitude with Sec. Abad? They were dead silent
when then President Gloria Arroyo was mobbed by UP activists when she attended
a UP workshop. Not a whimper was heard from this group when then AFP Chief of
Staff Esperon was shouted out and hit with hard paper balls by UP students.
What is bad for Abad is good for those they loath and dislike? Is this not
selective vigilance on civility if not plain hypocrisy?"
#1 is garbage. If Sec. Butch Abad forced his way to UP
saying, "I will go to UP even uninvited and lecture on those activists and
if they misbehave, I have a platoon of soldiers to deal with them" with
arrogance, then he deserves to be treated with arrogance.
Suppose we replace Butch Abad as the invited guest in the UP forum that day, say it was House Speaker Belmonte, or Sen. JP Enrile or Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, or Jaime Ayala or MV Pangilinan or any other known political and business personality in the country. Some student activists do not like him even before he steps in UP grounds. Does this justify the acts of violence?
#2 is misguided. The UPSE faculty members reacted with strong
words because the hooliganism occurred on UPSE grounds. If other faculty members from other colleges have tolerance for physical attacks, or they were shy to confront the hooligans when these student goons disrespect guests in their colleges, that is another issue. The SE faculty members said, "No, we cannot tolerate such hooliganism in our grounds."
Now, see this statement justifying the UP hooligans,
That statement shows that this group Contend-UP are cowards
and misguided. In the UPSE statement, the professors gave all their names, they
did not say, "Faculty of UPSE" and not a single name was given. In
this statement, zero name, no one is brave enough to own up to such lousy
statement.
See their sloganeering, and my commments:
Uphold campus freedom! -- Yes, anyone with a brain and
willing to stand by his/her statements are welcome to speak in UP.
Uphold the rights of students to protests and assemblies!
-- Yes, but their "rights" do not include the right to physically
attack people whom they dislike.
No to campus repression! -- Who repress whom? Any
government policeman attacked and arrested any of those hooligans?
Secretary Butch Abad resign now! -- Fine, say it. Loudly,
1,000x, 1M x, but such freedom of expression does not include the "freedom" of physical aggression.
Oust President Aquino! -- same as above.
Make all persons and parties involved in DAP and PDAF
accountable! -- same as above.
Down with bureaucrat capitalism! -- Is this the CPP above
ground speaking? Very likely, yes.
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