Educators urge private school group: Don’t join NTF-ELCAC

MANILA, Philippines —  Teachers and academics are asking the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) to rethink its decision to join the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

In a statement, academic group Scholars for Peace said COCOPEA’s decision to join the NTF-ELCAC was “misguided and self-defeating,” as the government agency has been targeting students, teachers and school administration in its red-tagging operations.

“Lest we forget, even entire academic institutions, including private schools, have been targets of red-tagging, due to the persistent insinuations of NTF-ELCAC officials that schools and universities are the preferred recruitment spots of the Communist Party of the Philippines,” Scholars for Peace said.

Composed of about 1,500 private schools nationwide, COCOPEA joined the NTF-ELCAC as part of its executive committee last week.

NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres Jr. announced at a Malacañang press briefing on Friday that COCOPEA was included as one of two private sector representatives in the task force during the 6th NTF-ELCAC executive committee meeting presided over by President Marcos.

The National Security Council (NSC) defended yesterday Marcos’ decision to admit COCOPEA into NTF-ELCAC.?

NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said the President merely wanted to ensure that schools are safe from “terror-groomers” or similar elements who recruit students to take up arms or instigate violence against the government.?

“Schools are supposed to be safe spaces for learning and free expression and should be free from violence, extremism or radicalization at all times. Students are there to learn and to contribute to society in a meaningful way. That is the purpose why the President approved the inclusion of the COCOPEA as a partner-institution of NTF-ELCAC,” Malaya said in a statement.

Scholars for Peace said COCOPEA’s leaders need to remember how the NTF-ELCAC targeted private schools in previous years, most notably in 2018 when 18 schools in Metro Manila were tagged as conspirators in the alleged “Red October” plot to oust then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Has the COCOPEA forgotten this clear form of harassment against educational institutions? Has the NTF-ELCAC admitted and apologized for spreading such malicious disinformation? The Supreme Court has already admonished NTF-ELCAC officials for endangering the lives of many Filipinos through red-tagging; this fact alone should have already been a warning sign for COCOPEA,” the group said.

Scholars for Peace also called for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC.

Malaya said criticism that COCOPEA’s membership in NTF-ELCAC is a serious encroachment on academic freedom or will lead to repression of critical thought are completely without basis and pure speculation.– Pia Lee-Brago