QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — An operational cluster under the National Capital Region Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict is spearheading efforts to educate young Filipinos in Metro Manila about communist recruitment tactics, an official said Tuesday.
National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Regional Director Dennis Godfrey Gammad said the Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM) cluster under the anti-insurgency task force is focused on countering the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army’s influence in schools and among the youth sector in the capital region.
“Our main purpose is raising students’ awareness about the ‘Arouse, Organize, Mobilize’ tactics of the CPP-NPA,” Gammad said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas media forum presented by the Philippine Information Agency-National Capital Region.
The intelligence official explained that communist groups manipulate students through a three-stage process: involving them in protests, forming them into organized groups, and eventually recruiting them to join armed units in remote areas.
“Multiple agencies are involved in this effort. The Department of Education, NICA, police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency — all these clusters are part of our line of efforts,” Gammad said.
The official also announced that guerrilla fronts nationwide have decreased from 87 to just three weakened groups.
While armed units no longer operate in Metro Manila, Gammad said the “battle of narratives” against progressive organizations continues.
“Recruitment has largely stopped, and when it does occur, we can easily offset it because schools are now open to dialogue,” he added.
The SAKM program aims to engage youth through modern approaches.
“We need to relate to them. You won’t find a young person today without a gadget, so our approach needs to match their mindset,” Gammad noted.
He said SAKM also partners with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to offer training programs that help students envision better futures.
“We have many programs for them [youth]. We just tie up with the right agency. SAKM is just a conduit, we are just the vessel,” Gammad said. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
(Photo courtesy: National Youth Commission)
