NTF-ELCAC to pursue collaboration with private schools despite COCOPEA’s exit

Anti-insurgency task force says fight against 'terrorist grooming,' 'violent extremism' will continue

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) vowed to continue working with schools to promote academic freedom and to fight “radicalization” even after the departure of its member the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA).

In a statement, the NTF-ELCAC said it respects COCOPEA’s decision to step down as a member of its executive committee and recognizes the private schools group’s commitment to its “mission of unity, peace, security and socioeconomic development.”

“This distinction is crucial—withdrawal from the (executive committee) is one thing, but continued collaboration is another. The task force values its engagement with the private education sector, especially in advancing academic freedom, countering radicalization, and fostering an environment where education remains a pillar of peace and national development,” NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres, Jr. said in a statement issued on Monday, Feb. 3.

COCOPEA, which represents over 1,500 private schools, announced its withdrawal from the task force last Sunday, Feb. 3. According to the group, the decision is “of utmost significance in preserving the essentiality of academic freedom and the vital role it plays in a democratic society.”

The announcement came less than three months after COCOPEA joined the task force’s executive committee on Nov. 8, a move that activists claimed would lead to the encroachment of academic freedom.

Torres said the NTF-ELCAC would remain persistent in its fight against “terrorist grooming” and “violent extremism,” particularly the enlistment of young students in armed conflict.

“We believe that schools should be centers of learning, free from exploitation by radical and extremist elements who prey on the idealism of youth to push their destructive agendas,” he added.

Despite the withdrawal, COCOPEA vowed to continue collaborating with the task force on issues that align with its goals and objectives.

The NTF-ELCAC was founded in 2018 under the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The task force seeks to end communist rebellion and achieve sustainable peace through a “whole-of-nation approach.” However, calls to abolish the NTF-ELCAC mounted after it was accused of associating government critics and activists with communist rebels and abusing the anti-terrorism law.

Officials have denied the allegations and have claimed that the task force has been successful in weakening communist insurgency and in helping former rebels live peaceful lives.

COCOPEA is the umbrella organization of the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges, and Universities, the Association of Christian Schools, Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities and the Unified TVET of the Philippines. F

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