FEU Advocate condemns the unfounded accusations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) identifying 18 different Metro Manila universities and schools including Far Eastern University (FEU) as communist training grounds to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte through the so-called “Red October.”

Last Wednesday, a military official red-tagged the universities as recruitment sites for the Communist Party of the Philippines through films depicting the dark years of Martial Law to brainwash students.

This imprudent move on the part of the Administration and the AFP dragged the students from the mentioned universities to grave threat and risk to their security.

Revealing institutions without legal procedures and verified bases manifests a clear irresponsible act by the armed forces.

FEU has been known to welcome students from all financial classes, academic standings, and ethnic origins. For almost a century, it serves as a home with an atmosphere of freedom. Thus, Tamaraws have been open to critical and healthy movements and discourse. But freedom has always been observed with discipline and limitation, valuing the essence of law and morale. The institution does not promote government destabilization and impingement on the rights to speech and expression.

The Administration and the AFP should understand that critical outcries do not equate to communist rebellion.

FEU Advocate challenges the current administration to follow the rule of law before shamelessly pointing fingers to any blocks of this nation, and the citizens of this country, to accept nothing less than what is just and constitutional.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This was first published on FEU Advocate's Facebook page.