Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Ex-cadre urges solons to probe NPA recruitment in state schools

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 25, 2020): Ex-cadre urges solons to probe NPA recruitment in state schools (By John Rey Saavedra)



STOP NPA RECRUITMENT. Photo shows Julieto "Tatay Bong" Pescadero Canoy posing after an interview with the Philippine New Agency (PNA) in May 2019. Pescadero on Wednesday (Nov. 25, 2020) urged the lawmakers to look into the reported recruitment activities of the CPP-NPA, through their legal fronts, in state colleges and universities. (File photo)

A former finance officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Amy (CPP-NPA) in Mindanao on Wednesday urged lawmakers to look into the reported recruitment of the underground movement in state colleges and universities.

Julieto "Tatay Bong" Pescadero Canoy said the recent pronouncement of leftist party-list congressmen that progressive groups are recruitment grounds of the rebels should be a yardstick in assessing government schools.

“Dapat i-undang na nila ang pagpang-recruit sa atong kabatan-onan diha sa atong mga tunghaan sa gobyerno (Recruitment activities targeting our youth in schools should be stopped),” Canoy told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.

Canoy said the Makabayan bloc lawmakers could not lie to the Senate because of the weight of the testimonies of former rebels who could bluntly speak about the real intention of having legal fronts.

He praised former Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño for telling the truth that cause-oriented groups are recruitment ground for the CPP-NPA.


As student movements in schools have active linkages with progressive organizations, Pescadero urged the national government to protect the youth from the menace of the underground movement which usually led to armed struggle.

He also said operational expenses of the state colleges and universities, including the salaries of the professors, are paid out of the taxpayers’ money.

“Ang UP (University of the Philippines) permanente na. Pero ang gobyerno angayan mohimo og assessment sa UP aron ma-evaluate ang mga scholars sa gobyerno ug malikayan nga mahimo sad nga scholar sa NDF (The University of the Philippines should be allowed to exist permanently. But the government should assess the school and evaluate the state scholars to avoid them from also becoming scholars of the National Democratic Front),” he said.

He said the youth recruited in government schools would not have the means to know that they are being hooked by the rebels once they associated themselves with the underground movement.

Canoy urged the parents to regularly engage their children when they are at home to monitor their activities in school and give them parental warning against the recruitment arm of the CPP-NPA on the campuses.

The parents, he said, should not inflict violence in convincing their children not to join progressive movements in schools, adding that their alienation from the family may become a weakness that the recruiters may take advantage of.

He argued that it is a violation of the youths’ rights to have a bright future through education if the state and the parents failed to protect them from being recruited to the CPP-NPA.

Casiño appeared before the Senate Committee on National Defense, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation inquiry on the issue of red-tagging/red-baiting of certain celebrities, personalities, institutions, and organizations.

Casiño said militant groups are not recruiting the youth to join the NPA but it is natural that the NPA targets the youth and students to join its group.


However, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade was right in warning against those who would want to join militant groups.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122895

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