From the pro-CPP Bulatlat (Oct 2): Military uses schools for counterinsurgency
Even schools are being used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for its counterinsurgency program. The Department of Education’s Schools Division Superintendent Mary A. Lang-ayan issued a memorandum last June 26 to all school heads of public elementary and high schools in Baguio City. The memorandum read: “The Charlie Company of 5th Civil Military Operations Battalion, 5th Infantry Division, Philippine Army in coordination with the Department of Education will conduct a counterinsurgency campaign, a one hour symposium, in all public and elementary and high schools in this Division starting July 1, 2012, Saturday. This is to enhance pupils’/students’ consciousness about the lies, deception and clandestine operation of the Communist Terrorist Movement.” The memorandum requires high school students to attend the symposium every Saturday. For elementary, only grade six students will attend the said symposium and the counterinsurgency discussion will be during their Hekasi periods. “It is alarming that the military is teaching young students the wrong notion that the legal democratic movement and the communist insurgency are one and the same. Such act imbues upon young minds that to be an activist, or to simply be a member of a progressive organization, is tantamount to rebellion,” said Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino....
http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/10/02/military-uses-schools-for-counterinsurgency/
This one of a series of articles posted to pro-CPP online publication Bulatlat that appear to be part of a propaganda campaign to discredit the Philippine military and pressure education/government officials and the media into constraining AFP efforts to "innoculate" students from CPP front group and NPA insurgent recruitment efforts. The AFP has long used a Power Point briefing entitled "Know Your Enemy" which highlights the negative aspects of insurgent ideology and operations. Part of the presentation focuses on the anti-government activities of legal, above ground CPP front organizations.
ReplyDeleteSee also:
From Bulatlat (Aug 3): Anti-insurgency sympo targets schoolkids (http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/08/03/anti-insurgency-sympo-targets-schoolkids/)
From Bulatlat (Aug 20): Phl government troops still hold sympo, vilify ‘reds’ in public schools
(http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/08/20/phl-government-troops-still-hold-sympo-vilify-reds-in-public-schools/)
From Bulatlat (Aug 30): Media urged to help end vilification (http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/08/31/media-urged-to-help-end-vilification/)
From Bulatlat (Oct 2): Vilification of activists, insidious form of human rights violation (http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/10/02/vilification-of-activists-insidious-form-of-human-rights-violation/)