'SOMO allows NPA to recruit members'

MANILA, Philippines - An Army official warned yesterday of heightened recruitment by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) during the suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO).

1Lt. Mark Andrew Posadas, spokesman of the 3rd Infantry Division based in Panay island, urged parents to keep an eye on their teenage sons and daughters who could be duped into joining NPA immersion activities.

“Do you know where your children are?” Posadas said, reminding parents to be wary of NPA recruitment activities, which is usually done during their Dec. 26 founding anniversary and the following days.

He said the Communist underground movement may openly use the unilateral ceasefire as a chance to bring their recruits from the cities for exposure trips with the NPA in the countryside.

Posadas pointed out that the activities of the CPP-NPA involves open mass movement that “lures people to join mass actions” and boost its mobilization and organizing strategy, while sending its members to infiltrate the government bureaucracy as part of their electoral-parliamentary struggle.

“Students and youth organizations, along with groups from the labor, government, civic, religious, professional, and business sectors, are among the targets for recruitment of the CPP-NPA,” he said.

What is alarming, he said, is that CPP-NPA recruiters take advantage of the idealism and rebelliousness of the youth.

One example of this, according to Posadas, was a 16-year-old boy from Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, who was recruited to join the rebel movement when he was barely 14 years old.

The boy had escaped and surrendered to the 79th Infantry Battalion because he wanted to continue his studies.

He said CPP-NPA recruiters, as part of their strategy, would agitate students with issues such as tuition fee increase, campus repression, academic freedom, independent student council, recognition of student organizations, and pro-poor education.

“At first, the CPP spotter or recruiter befriends and exploits the interest and weakness of the target youths who will then be invited to attend orientations, meetings, workshops, seminars to get acquainted with members and officials of militant student organizations,” Posadas said.

The recruiter will then start giving Communist teachings, start agitating on the aforementioned student issues, organize the recruits into a group and task them to seek out new members.

During this stage, the recruit will be assigned to do teach-ins, attend more seminars, and later will be subjected to more briefings until he or she becomes a full-fledged member of the NPA, paving the way for entry in the CPP as a full-time party member.

“It is of note that most of the presidents and spokespersons of legal organizations come from the front organizations of young students, and that they also have the capacity to perform as political guide or NPA political officer,” Posadas said.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Voltaire Guzmin appealed to his troops in the region to consider the recent ambush that claimed 10 lives of soldiers as part of the risks of their profession and not to be affected by the incident.

He also encouraged the troops to uphold and respect human rights and not to commit any act that would violate the SOMO. – Miriam Desacada