FOLLOWING CONCERNS on the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-ELCAC) participation in an upcoming forum in UST, the Political Science department chair clarified that he was not informed of the agency’s role in the event.
The concerns came after activist groups in UST released statements, claiming that NTF-ELCAC would be leading the department’s event, which will tackle various aspects of “terror grooming” or the radicalization of individuals.
Assoc. Prof. Dennis Coronacion said the department was only in communication with the National Security Council (NSC) and Malacañang as he assured students that its resources would not be used to support any government initiatives that undermine freedom and human rights.
“In the course of our preparations we have not met any of the representatives of the said government office (NTF-ELCAC). We have only met with representatives of NSC and Malacañang, who did not mention, suggest, or imply that NTF-ELCAC would play a major role in the research colloquium,” Coronacion told The Flame.
“[The forum] should not evoke NTF-ELCAC’s deplorable red-tagging activities. The department will never allow its resources and manpower to be used for government initiatives and programs that curtail our freedom and violate human rights,” he added.
Coronacion noted that the activity is in partnership with the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Political Science Forum and NSC, which is spearheading the event for its second year.
The department chair’s response came after activist groups in UST flagged the NTF-ELCAC’s participation in the forum.
The UST chapter of Anakbayan said the move would allow the task force a platform for fearmongering, deception and propaganda among Thomasians and the youth.
“Now, they are using the forum at UST as another platform to deceive and suppress the growing call for accountability,” the group said in a statement on Oct. 31.
“Instead of sincerely studying the legitimate demands of the people and the roots of the armed conflict, what is being fed to the youth is propaganda meant to silence them and make the people timid and submissive amid systematic oppression,” it added.
According to Coronacion, the engagement with the NSC seeks to influence policymakers in addressing the issue of terror grooming and red-tagging, which refers to the branding of activists as members of terrorist groups.
“Through this research colloquium, we are hoping to influence policymakers and program implementors as they navigate the serious issue of terror grooming. By engaging the government, we are hoping to prevent the mistakes committed by the previous administration in its red-tagging activities,” Coronacion said.
The department chair also invited Thomasians to attend and raise their concerns during the event.
The event, titled “Terror Grooming: The Philippine Experience,” will be held on Nov. 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It aims to showcase research works that examine various aspects of terror grooming, which will be presented by scholars, experts, policymakers and policy implementers.
Launched in 2018, the NTF-ELCAC is part of the government’s initiative to address communist insurgency and attain peace in areas affected by the conflict through socioeconomic development programs and various security measures.
Several groups and international bodies such as the United Nations Special Rapporteur have since accused the task force of linking activists and organizations to communist groups.
‘Minimal participation’
The Political Science Forum president Nomer Jatico earlier described NTF-ELCAC’s participation as “minimal,” saying that only a portion of the event would be allotted for it.
According to Jatico, NTF-ELCAC’s segment will be a discussion of Executive Order 70, which created the agency and institutionalized a “whole-of-nation approach” against communist armed conflict, as well as the establishment of a national framework for sustainable peace.
“The forum is an academic perspective for policy implementers and policymakers to rectify the mistakes being made by the current government with regard to red-tagging,” Jatico told The Flame.
The National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development, which serves as the country’s blueprint against local insurgency, would also be part of the discussion, Jatico added.
Threat to Thomasians’ democratic spaces
Despite assurance of minimal participation, the UST chapter of Anakbayan expressed concerns about the task force’s inclusion in the forum, saying that it is “not welcome” in the University given its history of red-baiting and disinformation.
“No matter how small the platform given to them (NTF-ELCAC), they are still not welcome in UST because they are known as a state mechanism used to red-tag, intimidate, repress and spread disinformation,” Anakbayan-UST head Dex Frogoso told The Flame.
Frogoso described the task force’s involvement in the forum as “alarming,” raising its recent statement backing the Commission on Elections’ decision to continue the hearing of the Kabataan Partylist’s disqualification case.
The NTF-ELCAC’s statement, released on Oct. 29, supported the government’s move, adding that the initiative protects the youth from “the risks of radicalization” and promotes “true and meaningful youth participation.”
“It’s really alarming, especially since we’re currently experiencing recent attacks on student leaders through subpoenas from the PNP (Philippine National Police)… Its presence in UST, no matter how big or small, is still a threat to the democratic spaces of Thomasians and also an insult to the University as a supposed home of truth, as we hold dearly to the slogan ‘Veritas in Caritate,’” Frogoso said. F — with reports from Mc Neil Zyh Serrano
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