Marikina teachers’ group denies communist tag

A teachers’ federation in Marikina City accused soldiers who are conducting anti-insurgency campaign in elementary and public schools in the city of harassment.

Jane Farinas, executive director of the city’s Federation of Philippine School Teachers Association (FPSTA), said soldiers who are supposed to educate the students on the evils of the New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas are instead tagging their group as a communist front.

“We are not against the anti-insurgency campaign in our schools but we are now being pictured by the soldiers as among those already brainwashed by the NPA,” Farinas said.

What could have triggered the Army’s suspicions that they are communist sympathizers are their ongoing efforts to form a teachers’ union under the guidelines of Civil Service Commission (CSC) Circular No. 180, said Farinas.

“What we are doing is legal, but they (soldiers) are creating a scenario,” Farinas said, adding that prior to their move to put up a teachers’ union in Marikina City, the matter was taken up last year in a teachers’ referendum.

She said that in most of the information drives held by the soldiers, teachers and other members of the audience are photographed each time any of them raised points that tend to go against the soldiers’ mission.

Fearing for their safety, Farinas said she and her group have sought guidance from Education Secretary Jesli Lapus.

Lapus, according to Farinas, is also in the dark over the ongoing anti-insurgency campaign by soldiers in primary and secondary schools in Marikina City.

Farinas said the Army’s information drive does not have the blessings of the Department of Education. The soldiers have so far conducted “teach ins” in 18 elementary and secondary schools since last Nov. last year.

Soldiers posted in Marikina belong to the Philippine Army’s Civil-Military Operations (CMO) battalion under the command of Col. Buenaventura Pascual.

Aside from Marikina, CMO troops are also deployed in the slums of Manila, Taguig, Caloocan and Quezon City to conduct civil-military operation to deny communist insurgents safe havens in urban centers.

Aside from CMO activities, the troops also conduct regular teach-ins in schools, colleges and universities as part of its information drive to educate the students on NPA deceptions.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said the Army leadership will look into Farinas’ complaint, saying there might be some misunderstanding or miscommunication between the teachers and the soldiers.

Torres said the Army’s CMO information drive in schools are held with the blessings or clearance from school principals, deans or the president of these learning institutions.      – Jaime Laude