KEEP HANDS OFF OUR YOUTH. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon calls on all sectors to help the government stop the recruitment activities of communist insurgents in schools during the Barangay Summit on Executive Order 70 in Butuan City on September 12. (Contributed photo)
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon has called on all sectors to help the government stop the recruitment activities of communist insurgents in schools.
Esperon made the call on September 12 here during the Barangay Summit on Executive Order 70, which seeks a "whole-of-nation" to end the 50-year-old communist insurgency.
The summit, which also doubled as a meeting of the Caraga Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC), was participated in by local officials, youth leaders, NPA surrenderers, and police and military officials from all over the region.
Addressing the youth, Esperon advised the young people to value education and stay away from the NPA's front organizations, which he said are doing the rebels' work in recruiting potential combatants in school campuses.
"Remember that the President pushed hard for free tuition in public schools so that our youth can learn and have good education. Don't waste the opportunity by being deceived by communist terrorists and their front organizations in your schools," he said.
Esperon said the NPA's extensive recruitment in schools is evidenced by rebel surrenderers "as young as Grade 5 or Grade 6" who narrated how they were enlisted by the NPA in campuses.
"Our government wants to capacitate our human resources so that they can be productive citizens. We don't want our youth to fall into the hands of the communist terrorists," he added.
In line with this, the national security adviser urged various sectors "to be alert, resist, and report" the NPA recruitment activities in campuses.
"The countryside would be more progressive if not for the troubles brought about by the communist insurgency," he said.
During the summit, Esperon also led the Caraga TF-ELCAC members in awarding financial packages to 30 former NPA rebels under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Likewise, the Department of Social Welfare and Development also distributed PHP10,000 and relief goods to each former rebel, while the Department of Health distributed medicines and the Department of Agriculture gave out seedlings.
In his speech, Secretary Karlos Nograles, the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS), underscored the importance of "convergence" in achieving the success of addressing insurgency in every barangay.
“We must have a concerted effort in addressing problems in our society. We must focus our sights on the barangays. Let's include the local chief executive in every barangay...Doing so will discourage barangay folks from joining armed or illegal struggles,” Nograles said.
Meanwhile, Col. Maurito Licudine, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade, expressed his gratitude to the Caraga RTF-ELCAC for "being at the forefront in facilitating convergence to address root causes or issues that fuels insurgency" in the region.
"On the part of the security sector, we thank the TF ELCAC for these initiatives. This is a big boost in our campaign against the communist terrorist group," Licudine said.
He added: "TF-ELCAC has exercised their role in leading the local chief executives of barangays and unicipalities, and ensuring that EO 70 will be operationalized."
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1080938
Esperon made the call on September 12 here during the Barangay Summit on Executive Order 70, which seeks a "whole-of-nation" to end the 50-year-old communist insurgency.
The summit, which also doubled as a meeting of the Caraga Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC), was participated in by local officials, youth leaders, NPA surrenderers, and police and military officials from all over the region.
Addressing the youth, Esperon advised the young people to value education and stay away from the NPA's front organizations, which he said are doing the rebels' work in recruiting potential combatants in school campuses.
"Remember that the President pushed hard for free tuition in public schools so that our youth can learn and have good education. Don't waste the opportunity by being deceived by communist terrorists and their front organizations in your schools," he said.
Esperon said the NPA's extensive recruitment in schools is evidenced by rebel surrenderers "as young as Grade 5 or Grade 6" who narrated how they were enlisted by the NPA in campuses.
"Our government wants to capacitate our human resources so that they can be productive citizens. We don't want our youth to fall into the hands of the communist terrorists," he added.
In line with this, the national security adviser urged various sectors "to be alert, resist, and report" the NPA recruitment activities in campuses.
"The countryside would be more progressive if not for the troubles brought about by the communist insurgency," he said.
During the summit, Esperon also led the Caraga TF-ELCAC members in awarding financial packages to 30 former NPA rebels under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
Likewise, the Department of Social Welfare and Development also distributed PHP10,000 and relief goods to each former rebel, while the Department of Health distributed medicines and the Department of Agriculture gave out seedlings.
In his speech, Secretary Karlos Nograles, the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS), underscored the importance of "convergence" in achieving the success of addressing insurgency in every barangay.
“We must have a concerted effort in addressing problems in our society. We must focus our sights on the barangays. Let's include the local chief executive in every barangay...Doing so will discourage barangay folks from joining armed or illegal struggles,” Nograles said.
Meanwhile, Col. Maurito Licudine, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade, expressed his gratitude to the Caraga RTF-ELCAC for "being at the forefront in facilitating convergence to address root causes or issues that fuels insurgency" in the region.
"On the part of the security sector, we thank the TF ELCAC for these initiatives. This is a big boost in our campaign against the communist terrorist group," Licudine said.
He added: "TF-ELCAC has exercised their role in leading the local chief executives of barangays and unicipalities, and ensuring that EO 70 will be operationalized."
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1080938
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