Student leaders from the University of the Philippines (UP) and UP Mindanao called for the expulsion of military camp of the 11th Regional Community Defense Group (RCDG) from their campus in Barangay Mintal, Davao City. In connection with this, representatives from Kabataan Party-list and ACT Teachers Party-list, together with UP Mindanao University Student Council (USC) former chairperson Heroine Fernandez, UP Student Regent Dexter Clemente, and Francesca Duran, former student regent, filed a resolution in the House of Representatives on August 11 to encourage representatives to support their demand.
The resolution includes a call for authorities to stop militarization in spaces intended for learning, such as the UP Mindanao campus. Makabayan Bloc’s resolution was based on the resolution released by the UP Mindanao student council in July.
Himati, the official publication of the UP Mindanao students, recorded 19 military activities on campus from 2019 to July 2025. These include flying drones over the campus during meetings led by student leaders.
In another incident in October 2024, uniformed soldiers conducted military training at the campus cultural complex. The soldiers described the incident as “just for fun.”
The publication also documented at least five cases of Red-tagging of students and student leaders, and the entry of uniformed personnel onto campus without informing the student council. These incidents violate the previous agreement between university administration officials and the UP Mindanao USC.
Additionally, in 2019, photos and names of student leaders maliciously linked to revolutionary groups were posted outside the campus.
“Military presence in educational institutions forms part of a broader pattern of state-sponsored repression that seeks to stifle dissent, critical thinking, and progressive organizing among communities of the youth and the academe,” the submitted resolution to Congress stated.
“The state has the constitutional duty to protect and promote academic freedom and ensure that learning environments remain free from military interference,” the resolution added.
