THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) urged the administration of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UP-Min) to encourage its students to "state the evils" of the communist group New People's Army (NPA) who are reportedly making recruitments within their campus.
"If UP Mindanao truly lives by its vision of generating critical thinking, then it should encourage more students to truthfully state the evils of NPA hiding among the shadows in universities and preying among the students," NTF-Elcac said in a statement issued on May 23, 2022.
This is in response to the statement issued by UP-Min Chancellor Lyre Annie E. Murao calling out the "baseless allegation and irresponsible publication" of the post of the National Security Council (NSC) alleging that their school has been a recruitment haven of the communist group.
In a statement posted on Saturday, May 22, 2022, said the accusation had affected the school community and caused harassment.
NTF-Elcac, in response, denied that the report did not come from NSC, but from an alumnus.
Choyax Cagape, a former UP-Min student, said in a Facebook post on May 14, 2022, confirmed that recruitment activities are being carried out by NPA, sometimes even with the help of their mentor.
"Effectively, UP Mindanao admitted from the words of their own alumnus, no less, that the NPA has infiltrated their campus for recruitment of students into the ranks of communist terrorists," the Task Force said.
The body added, "Therefore, it is sheer hypocrisy for UP Mindanao to attribute “red-tagging” as mere “allegations” and “hasty generalizations” of the NSC – when no less than one of its own alumnus has admitted that NPA has infiltrated their educational campus."
NTF-Elcac lauded the alumni "who fearlessly testified the truth despite UP Mindanao’s attempt to hide the open-secret of NPA’s infiltration and radicalization of universities."
"Too, UP Mindanao is blissfully ignorant of the plethora of students who testified in the Senate hearings, and on the disqualification cases pending before the Commission of Elections (Comelec) of party-lists belonging to KABAG (specifically the Kabataan and Gabriela Partylists), testifying therein that the NPA through its fronts has infiltrated and recruited students from several universities nationwide," they also said.
In their closing statement, the NTF-Elcac said that instead of threatening to file actions against the government, UP-Min "should comply and respect the government agencies such as NSC, the military, and the police – which have the mandate of protecting the people and the students, and to investigate the reports of NPA and communist terrorists lurking among their ranks."
Murao said they will be taking legal actions, if necessary, against those harassing their students and employees.
"We will take legal action due to harassment, when necessary, to protect the welfare of our constituents, especially our students," the official said.
"Furthermore, we are committed to remain vigilant and to uphold the welfare of our students and the entire UP Mindanao community against undue harassment by any form or mean," Murao added.
Murao said the school, for the past 27 years, has produced graduates who are now serving as public servants, health workers, educators, scientists, lawyers, communicators, business professionals, development workers, etc.
The UP-Mindanao University Student Council, in a separate statement, called on the NSC and NTF-Elcac to be accountable for the "irresponsible portrayal" of the school.