Inquirer news: The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), composed of 1,500 private schools nationwide, recently withdrew its membership from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), headed by President Bongbong Marcos. Reason given: “to preserve the essentiality of academic freedom and the vital role it plays in a democratic society.”
COCOPEA was included as a member of NTF-Elcac just last November 2024. And it learned that the task force was planning to conduct an “information awareness campaign” in private schools as a way to counter the “terror grooming of organizations like [the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and National Democratic Front].”
The NTF-Elcac has been known for its Red-tagging of activists and rights groups, since its creation under the administration of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Its record as a government body has been in the public eye, given its track record of intimidation, harassments, illegal arrests, tortures, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings (EJKs).
Human Rights group, KARAPATAN has faithfully documented the bloody track record of the NTF-Elcac: “60 extrajudicial killings in 2023 compared to 41 in 2022…four victims of enforced disappearances in 2022…11 in 2023…66 percent rise in the number of victims of indiscriminate firing from 12,263 in 2022 to 20,391 in 2023….”
“KARAPATAN has documented as many as 1,609,496 victims who have been threatened, harassed and intimidated under the Marcos Jr. regime, mainly through red- and terrorist tagging.”
Just a few instances recorded by KARAPATAN: “On August 19, 2023, soldiers of the 96th IBPA and elements of the Masbate PNP killed women farmers Jelyn Guis Dejomo, 56; Sheryl Salazar Dejoma, 29; Divina Ajitan,60, all residents of Barangay Jagnaan, San Jacinto, Ticao island, Masbate…The AFP falsely claimed…(they) were members of the NPA killed during an encounter.”
“On January 17, 2024, soldiers from the 62nd IBPA killed former peasant activist Dioniseo Baloy, 67 and former driver activist Bernard Torres Sr., 56 at the house they were staying in Hacienda Gomez, Barangay Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental. The soldiers dragged the two men out and interrogated them before gunning them down. To justify the killings, the 62nd IBPA released a statement saying that Baloy and Torres died during a clash between their soldiers and members of the NPA.”
“On February 21, 2024, elements of the 79th IBPA killed farmer Jose Caramihan in his hut in sitio Mansulao, Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City and accused him of being an NPA member.”
These details of killings and lies made by units of the Philippine Army, especially in the provinces were never reported by mainstream media.
And the NTF-Elcac must have been fully aware of these so-called encounters, resulting in the killing of innocent farmers and civilians. These killings must have pricked the conscience and hearts of the COCOPEA representatives in the NTF-Elcac, and decided to withdraw COCOPEA’s membership. To recall, the Church leaders were invited to join this government task force, but learning about its bloody track record, the Church leaders turned down the invitation.
That COCOPEA quit its membership in the NTF-Elcac sends a strong urgent message to President Bongbong Marcos and VP Sara Duterte that the people’s money has been misused, killing innocent Filipinos, and must be abolished altogether soonest.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #OpinYonColumn #PoliticsIsLife