ANTI-NPA FORUM. Officials and students pose for a photo opportunity after the Campus Peace Development Forum at the Leyte Normal University Gymnasium on Saturday (Nov. 16, 2019), organized by the Philippine Air Force. The activity seeks to shield students from the recruitment of the New People’s Army. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Air Force)
TACLOBAN CITY -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) in Eastern Visayas is reaching out to campuses in a bid to shield students from recruitment activities of the New People’s Army (NPA).
On Saturday, Air Force personnel led a community peace development forum at the Leyte Normal University (LNU) here attended by over 1,300 students.
The initiative is part of fulfilling the PAF’s role as member of the National Task Force (NTF) created by Executive Order (EO) 70. The directive issued in December 2018 seeks to establish a whole-of-nation approach in ending local communist armed conflicts.
“We adopted this initiative of the headquarters because of the emerging recruitments of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA in universities and communities. Some NPA members who surrendered and captured during encounters are as young as 16, 17, and 18 years old,” said Lt. Col. Myroade De Leon, PAF-Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) group commander.
He added that these rounds of campus-based forums are not only meant for students, but also for educators to further strengthen their objective in sparing the youth from the persuasions of NPA’s front organizations that could lead to armed rebellion.
In the region, the air force team has tied up with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Economic and Development Authority and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency in educating the students about EO 70, the economic effects of insurgencies, and the forms of recruitment of the rebel group.
LNU president Jude Duarte, in his welcome message, expressed support to this nationwide campaign of the government, reminding the students of their basic purpose in attending school.
“You are all here to study. Your job is to study, not for other causes or any underground activity. You finish studying and you will have a bright future,” Duarte told students.
This is the second round of the campus-based forum. The first one was held at the Eastern Visayas State University's main campus here with over 800 participants.
The capture of young rebels and the recovery of documents in Northern Samar confirmed the recruitment of students and extortion activities of the NPA in the region. (PNA)
