Mindanaotoday.com | NICA alerts schools on NPA recruitment
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Students in colleges and high schools in Northern Mindanao are targets for recruitment by anti-government groups aligned with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-10 disclosed Thursday, March 23, this year.
Monique Cervantes, NICA-10 spokesperson, in a Talakayan sa PIA forum at SM Downtown Premier in Cagayan de Oro held last week, said they have focused their information campaign in educational institutions, most recent of this was in Iligan City.
Cervantes said they coordinate the public awareness activities with the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, aside from local government leaders.
Human rights violations and terroristic acts of CPP-NPA leaders based on first-hand accounts from those who have given up arms and returned to the folds of the law are highlighted in these information campaigns.
Two former rebels, both females, joined the NICA-10 representative in the forum.
“Ka Inday” and “Ka Lala” were recruited by student leaders into the CPP-NPA when they were enrolled in Cagayan de Oro-based college.
They said regretted their decisions, of dropping off their studies and surrendering inherent rights.
“I lost my identity, my rights as a woman, deprived of my family, and denied of my belief in God,” said “Ka Lala” in mixed Bisayan and English languages, grateful she’s recovered those she was denied of being with the Philippine Army.
But she knew two other young female college students – also from a college in Cagayan de Oro – have been operating in a village of her birth, hoping they will not experience what she had.
In the same forum, Col. Wilbur Salagoste, Police Regional Office-10’s operations and plans chief, reported that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) in the region had led to the surrender of 178 rebels, including 48 females.
Salagoste said 297 Barangay Development Plans have been crafted, containing projects and activities to address the real needs of geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in Northern Mindanao.
“Every year, the number of GIDA is being revised; 113 in 2021, 147 in 2022, and only 27 this year,” the regional police official said even as he confirmed these villages used to be either controlled, threatened, or influenced by communist insurgents.
He said they have listed 38,611 beneficiaries of livelihood trainings and assistance, farm assistance and inputs, roads and bridges, electrification, and water supply development, among other projects and activities extended to CPP-NPA-cleared villages.
Many of these are still ongoing, others awaiting fund release.
NTF-ELCAC was created December 4, 2018 through Executive Order No. 70 that was issued by then President Rodrigo Duterte. It is now headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (MT)
– Students in colleges and high schools in Northern Mindanao are targets for recruitment by anti-government groups aligned with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-10 disclosed Thursday, March 23, this year.
Monique Cervantes, NICA-10 spokesperson, in a Talakayan sa PIA forum at SM Downtown Premier in Cagayan de Oro held last week, said they have focused their information campaign in educational institutions, most recent of this was in Iligan City.
Cervantes said they coordinate the public awareness activities with the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, aside from local government leaders.
Human rights violations and terroristic acts of CPP-NPA leaders based on first-hand accounts from those who have given up arms and returned to the folds of the law are highlighted in these information campaigns.
Two former rebels, both females, joined the NICA-10 representative in the forum.
“Ka Inday” and “Ka Lala” were recruited by student leaders into the CPP-NPA when they were enrolled in Cagayan de Oro-based college.
They said regretted their decisions, of dropping off their studies and surrendering inherent rights.
“I lost my identity, my rights as a woman, deprived of my family, and denied of my belief in God,” said “Ka Lala” in mixed Bisayan and English languages, grateful she’s recovered those she was denied of being with the Philippine Army.
But she knew two other young female college students – also from a college in Cagayan de Oro – have been operating in a village of her birth, hoping they will not experience what she had.
In the same forum, Col. Wilbur Salagoste, Police Regional Office-10’s operations and plans chief, reported that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) in the region had led to the surrender of 178 rebels, including 48 females.
Salagoste said 297 Barangay Development Plans have been crafted, containing projects and activities to address the real needs of geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in Northern Mindanao.
“Every year, the number of GIDA is being revised; 113 in 2021, 147 in 2022, and only 27 this year,” the regional police official said even as he confirmed these villages used to be either controlled, threatened, or influenced by communist insurgents.
He said they have listed 38,611 beneficiaries of livelihood trainings and assistance, farm assistance and inputs, roads and bridges, electrification, and water supply development, among other projects and activities extended to CPP-NPA-cleared villages.
Many of these are still ongoing, others awaiting fund release.
NTF-ELCAC was created December 4, 2018 through Executive Order No. 70 that was issued by then President Rodrigo Duterte. It is now headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (MT)
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