DAVAO CITY — The Army’s 10th Infantry Division based in Tuburan, Mawab, Compostela Valley has called on schools and parents to monitor groups mobilizing students to join mass actions and recruiting them to become cadres of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Maj. Gen. Noel Clement, commander of the 10th ID, on Sunday confirmed there are individuals in Davao personally recruiting students for mass actions.
“They are being organized to join,” Clement said. “Let me just emphasize that schools will always be targets, as there are many potential recruits there.”
To protect the students, Clement said the Army will reach out to school authorities and the parents to apprise them on “what activities they should look out for.”
“Once they start joining mass movements, that’s a red flag already because the next step is immersion in the countryside, then join the armed group,” he said.
“Parents as well should look out for signs their children are being lured into joining these rallies and end up in encounters with government troops,” he added.
He said this should be a concerted effort of the schools, students, teachers, parents, and government agencies.
The Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) last week released a list of Metro Manila schools that have been possibly used as venues for arousing, organizing, and mobilizing of students by the communist armed group. The list is now subject of continuing validation by the AFP and the Philippine National Police.
“We are firm in our position that some of the schools in that list have been, and widely known to have been used, as fora for communist recruitment,” AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said.
Arevalo had warned that some of the other schools in the list are being targeted. (Rhoda Grace Saron/PNA)
