Philippines universities reject accusation of Maoist rebel recruitment on campus

An activist holds a placard during a protest following the defense ministry's cancellation of a decades-long pact hindering police and soldiers from the country's state university, University of the Philippines (UP), at the University Avenue in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Jan 19, 2021. - Reuters

MANILA, Jan 25 (Reuters): Four Philippine private universities rejected accusations on Sunday by the authorities that they serve as recruitment grounds of Maoist rebels, days after students protested against security force patrols at some university campuses.

President Rodrigo Duterte's government has stepped up efforts to end a Maoist-led rebellion, one of the world's longest insurgencies that has killed more than 40,000 people.