SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) — The Regional Task Force-End Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) intensifies its efforts in protecting the youth from the influence of the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) in MIMAROPA.
During the Philippine Information Agency MIMAROPA Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on March 18, Colonel Eric D. Guevarra, the Deputy Brigade Commander of the Philippine Army’s 203rd Infantry Brigade, stressed that the youth is the most vulnerable sector to the CTGs.
“Based on our experience, ang mga sumu-surrender o or naka-capture namin na kabataan, sa mga prestigious schools pa nag-aral,” he said.
(Based on our experience, those who surrender or we capture belong to the youth sector who study at prestigious schools.)
As a response, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through the Sangguniang Kabataan and the Barangay Local Government Units, launched Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in 2024, said Lou Adrian S. Lopez of DILG Oriental Mindoro.
“Ito po yung programa na sa simula pa lang na may makikita yung ating mga kababayan, yung ating mga stakeholders na [gawain na] parang…papunta sa makakaliwang grupo [o]…mga ideals ng mga makakaliwang grupo, pwede natin silang i-report sa ating mga munisipyo, sa ating mga kapulisan,” he explained.
(This program enables the public, our stakeholders, to report to their local government or the police if they see anything that may be related to the activities or ideals of the left-leaning groups.)
According to Lopez, this prevents the youth from becoming insurgents or extremists through awareness about the CTG’s tactics and strategies.
To further reach the youth sector, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) conducts Orientation for the Youth and Students on Terrorism Recruitment (OYSTER).
NICA works with the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police, and the “Yakap ng mga Magulang,” a group of parents with children who once joined or became involved with CTGs or currently looking for their children who joined terrorist groups.
“Tuloy-tuloy [kaming] nakikipag-usap kami sa mga estudyante, at ang [iniimbitahan] namin na mga speaker para maka-relate talaga [ang mga kalahok ay] ‘yung mga magulang [ng ating mga] FR (Friends Rescued),” NICA MIMAROPA Regional Director Pedro Gabayan said.
(We continuously engage with the students and invite parents of FRs to be speakers so that the audience can relate more.)
The ELCAC works not only with DILG, PNP, Philippine Army, and NICA. It uses a Whole-of-Nation Approach based on Executive Order 70 involving all government agencies from national to the barangay level to defeat CTGs and establish sustainable and inclusive peace in the country. (DSG/PIA MIMAROPA-Occidental Mindoro)
