THE MUCH-CRITICIZED forum of the Political Science department on “terror grooming,” which reportedly includes the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), will proceed regardless of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education’s (RCSSED) withdrawal from the event, the department chair said.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dennis Coronacion, the organizers of the research colloquium are determined to continue the event despite criticisms, as it seeks to encourage a “free and open exchange of ideas.”
“Yes, the research colloquium will push through with or without RCSSED’s participation. RCSSED’s reported withdrawal will not affect the holding of the event as the rest of the organizers have remained steadfast in their decision to allow the event to push through,” Coronacion told The Flame.
RCSSED reportedly pulled out of the event following reports of the involvement of the NTF-ELCAC in the forum, which would tackle various forms of “terror grooming” or the radicalization of individuals.
The Flame has reached out to the RCSSED for comment but has yet to receive a response as of writing.
Several students and activist groups slammed the NTF-ELCAC’s participation, saying that the platform would be used to instill fear and propaganda among the youth.
In a previous interview, Coronacion assured students that the department would not allow its resources to be used for government initiatives that undermine freedom and violate human rights, noting that it has only met representatives of Malacañang and the National Security Council (NSC), which spearheads the forum.
The department, Coronacion said, was not informed by the government agencies that the NTF-ELCAC would have a “major role” in the colloquium.
The NTF-ELCAC was established in 2018 as part of the government’s efforts to address communist insurgency and promote peace through socioeconomic development programs and security measures.
However, many groups and international bodies have criticized the task force for supposedly falsely labelling activists and organizations as part of communist groups.
Coronacion clarified that the NTF-ELCAC’s participation is at the discretion of the NSC.
He suggested that pushing for the task force’s exclusion would go against the forum’s purpose of allowing discourse on policies and issues of red-baiting.
“If we would lobby for the non-participation of NTF-ELCAC because a small portion of the Thomasian community is demanding it, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of the research colloquium, which is to present and debate on the research findings that may influence policymaking and implementation?” Coronacion said.
The department head added that dialogue between the academe and government agencies is the “better” course of action than disengagement and boycotting to avoid “inhumane” and “anti-democratic” policies.
“In addition, if we would accede to that demand, wouldn’t we deprive the members of the Thomasian community the chance to listen to what the government has to say on the issue and, possibly, to influence policymakers and policy implementors?” Coronacion added.
“If we would only allow one side to dominate a public discourse, wouldn’t that result in the demise of the plurality of voices and opinions, which an academic institution like UST should uphold no matter what?”
He pointed out that the department had previously allowed leaders of youth and labor groups, including former Kabataan party-list representative Sarah Elago and then-presidential candidate Ka Leody de Guzman, to speak in past seminars.
Coronacion questioned why the department should now prevent the NSC to similarly engage with students by presenting research findings of experts and scholars, noting the role of academic institutions such as UST in upholding plurality.
Political Science student society vows vigilance
The Political Science Forum president Nomer Jatico assured Thomasians that he would be cautious of any rhetoric that may be used to indoctrinate students, adding that the State must not exploit academic spaces for propaganda.
“Beyond all of this, I will, and we must, be vigilant to the rhetoric they may indoctrinate to the students and shall act accordingly when the State attempts to use this avenue to their own advantage and intended end,” Jatico told The Flame.
“The State should not use the academe’s efforts to enjoin them in policy dialogue as a means to their propaganda, hence we all need to be vigilant for us to make an effort to have a counteraction.”
Jatico previously said that the NTF-ELCAC’s participation in the forum would be “minimal” and limited to a brief discussion of Executive Order 70, which created the task force, and the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development.
According to him, the term “minimal participation” was used to describe the agency’s limited role in the event, not to downplay its alleged human rights violations.
“The usage of the term ‘minimal participation’ in recent reports is to quantify how we describe the extent the said agency has in the event, but we do not deduce the number of the atrocities they have committed to undermine the rights and welfare of the people, especially our youth defenders,” Jatico said.
The organization head added that he hopes the forum will lead to the incorporation of participants’ insights and grievances to rectify government programs and policies that have previously suppressed freedom of expression and assembly.
Still a platform for ‘red-tagging?’
Former House member and Kabataan party-list representative Raoul Manuel criticized the event, saying that despite being labeled a “research colloquium,” it still serves as a platform for red-tagging.
“Kahit tawagin pang “research colloquium”, red-tagging platform pa rin yan…I hope that those in the UST Political Science Department aren’t naive to the fact that [the Philippines] has a draconian Anti-Terror Law, which is being used by the [NSC] to target vocal oppressed groups,” Manuel said in a Facebook post on Nov. 1.
He questioned the event’s credibility due to its involvement of government agencies that, according to him, have a track record of releasing inaccurate data, fabricating surrenderees and disregarding scientific policymaking and critical thinking.
The former lawmaker likens allowing the security sector to discuss terror grooming, which he said has been used to justify red-tagging, to legitimizing hate speech.
According to Manuel, invoking plurality to “defend” the inclusion of entities hostile to free and safe academic discourse is a “hollow excuse,” urging that they not be given platforms in universities.
“Besides being futile at the minimum, it has real-life consequences on students, faculty and staff beyond their department…Entities in the security sector that are opposed to free and safe academic discourse should be kept out of academic spaces,” he said. F — with reports from Mc Neil Zyh Serrano
