COUNTERING NPA RECRUITMENT. Lt. Col. Francisco Molina, Jr. (standing, front), commander of the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion, leads an information drive against the recruitment of the New People’s Army in Barangay Manoligao, Carmen, Agusan del Norte on Wednesday (Feb. 12, 2020). The activity was participated in by 160 students in the village. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUENAVISTA, Agusan del Norte – A top official of the Philippine Army in Agusan del Norte said the influence of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) has already reached inside the elementary and high school campuses in the province.
Lt. Col. Francisco L. Molina Jr., 23IB commander, said the confirmation was made after the series of campaigns made by the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion in various schools in the area, and described the situation as "alarming".
"In each school where we conducted campaigns to save the children from NPA recruitment, around 10 percent of them were already influenced by the rebels,” Molina told the Philippine News Agency on Thursday (February 13).
Molina spearheaded two information drive activities on Wednesday (February 12) held in Barangay Manoligao, Carmen town that was attended by 160 students.
“Most of the influenced students are in senior high school,” Molina said.
He said the 23IB has already conducted 10 campaigns against NPA recruitment in different schools in Agusan del Norte, to include four schools in the town of Nasipit, two in Buenavista, and four in Carmen.
“We require junior and senior high school students to attend the campaigns seeing that these ages are the most vulnerable to the recruitment of the NPA,” Molina said.
At the start of each lecture, he said they would ask the students to write their impressions and thoughts about the NPA.
“We do not require them to write their names on the paper. We just allow them to write about their ideas of the NPA and the results were chilling,” Molina said.
He noted that most of those in the 10 percent considered as influenced by communist ideology regarded the NPA as "heroes" who sacrifice their lives for the country.
NPA INFLUENCE. Photo shows the handwritten impressions of several students in Agusan del Norte of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), the majority of whom indicated sympathy and even support for the communist rebel group. The notes were collected by the military during a series of information drives meant to counter NPA's recruitment of students in all schools in the province. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
Molina said that the series information drives on campuses are part of the "whole-of-Nation approach" to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) mandated under Executive Order No. 70 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The war against the communist NPA is no longer the sole responsibility of the Army and the police. All government line agencies and the other stakeholders are part of the whole approach to end the communist insurgency,” he pointed out.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is part of the ELCAC task force in regional, provincial, and municipal levels, and is tasked to educate the students on EO 70 and the concept of the "whole-of-nation" approach.
However, Molina said that some teachers in the province are not aware of EO 70 issued by President Duterte.
“We asked some teachers about EO 70 and it is disheartening to note that a number of them are not aware of it; they have no idea about the whole-of-nation approach,” he said.
He added that the DepEd in the local levels has the 'responsibility to cascade" the provisions of EO 70 and its underlying principles to the teachers.
NPA recruitment schemes
Molina said the NPA recruiters usually disguise themselves as "friends" when they do their rounds on school campuses.
“They can effectively utilize such disguise when they personally meet the students they target to recruit, either outside or inside the school campus,” he added.
Molina said NPA recruitment also takes place within the family of the victim, citing the case of Litboy Binungcasan, the 16-year-old NPA from Sitio Siohan, Barangay Malinao, Gingoog City, who was killed in an encounter late November last year in the hinterlands of Butuan City.
“Litboy was recruited by his own uncle but his mother was not aware that he was already an NPA combatant,” he added, adding it was "upsetting to note that there are cases where teachers themselves recruit young students to join the NPA".
Molina pointed out that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison once declared that the forces of the communist movement in the country are composed of different sectors--from the farmers, the labor groups, the professionals, including the teachers.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) is among the identified fronts of the communist movement in the country, the Army official said. ACT has repeatedly denied this allegation.
NPA recruitment among students on school campuses happen when teachers, particularly members of ACT, serve as facilitators, Molina said.
“The DepEd, which is part of the task forces in the regional and provincial levels of ELCAC, must act on this situation in Agusan del Norte,” he said, as he raised the "difficulties" they experienced whenever they conduct anti-NPA recruitment campaigns in schools.
“We often hit some snags in the school levels in barangays, such as giving us difficulties before allowing us to talk to the students, despite the fact that higher DepEd officials in the municipal and provincial levels had previously approved our activity,” Molina noted.
The problems they encountered, he added, were indications of the influence of the group ACT at the school levels in barangays.
Despite this, Molina said the teachers play a major role in saving young students from joining the communist rebel movement.
Continuing campaign
Despite the hindrances met in previous activities, Molina vowed the campaigns in school campuses in Agusan del Norte will continue.
“We must cut the influence (of the NPA) among our youths...to eradicate the communist ideology. This can be done when all the stakeholders work together,” he said, as he expressed gratitude for the "constant support of the local government units" to the campaign.
“Governor Dale Corvera and Congresswoman Angel Amante-Matba have signified their steady support to our efforts to save our children from the deception of the NPA,” he said.
Molina added that a scheduled "cascading activity" on EO 70 and the "whole-of-nation" approach is set to be joined by DepEd officials and teachers in the province.
“As guardians of our students while inside school campuses, we must equip our teachers with the knowledge of EO 70 and the whole-of-nation approach. Our teachers play vital roles in guarding students from the influence and recruitment of the NPA,” Molina said.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
