To prevent the recruitment of minors, especially young students by the New People’s Army, the military recently launched campus lectures among teachers, students and parents in different school institutions in Eastern Samar.
According to Army Capt. Reynaldo Aragones Jr., chief if the Public Affairs Office of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan, Samar, a total of 75 teach-in engagements were conducted in different schools and universities in the province to prevent the youth from being recruited to join the CPP-NPA through their terrorist organizations.
The lectures include career guidance symposium, information drive, youth leadership summit and campus peace awareness dialogue, Aragones said.
“These series of school engagements are the results of inter-agency efforts in protecting our children from being misled to join the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) and eventually as armed combatants,” he said.
Aragones cited the case of Rey Christian “Chan-Chan” Sabado, a first year accountancy student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, an NPA recruit, who was apprehended by elements of the 20th Infantry Battalion in Northern Samar.
Aside from rescuing Sabado, army troopers belonging to the 46th Infanty Batallion also rescued a “Ka Louie,” a 17-year-old child warrior in Northern Samar and a Grade 11 student in Barangay Lim-ao, Hinabangan, Samar.
Aragones added that policemen in Victoria, Northern Samar also captured Aljon Cardenas, a young NPA combatant who reportedly led the attack on the town’s Municipal Police Station, and the death of an NPA amazon in an encounter with soldiers from the 14th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Pinanag-an, Borongan, Eastern Samar.
“Their revelations confirm the CTGs deceptive recruitment in schools and universities which is contrary to the claims of the CPP-NPA-NDF hierarchy. They often poison the minds of the students to take up arms against the government, join rallies and shouting to overthrow the government,” Aragones said.
Most of the participants of the school symposium expressed gratitude to the Philippine Army in giving enlightenment, providing the, guidance and perseverance in reaching them out.
“I enjoin the parents to monitor their children’s activities diligently and the teachers to be vigilant against the misleading recruitment schemes being employed by the front organizations of the CPP-NPA-NDF in their respective schools and universities,” said 8th ID commander Maj. Gen. Pio Q. Diñoso III.
Meanwhile, three members of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were killed in military air and ground assaults in Maguindanao Tuesday, an official said.
Maj. Gen. Diosdado Carreon, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Central, said the continuing “surgical operation” is focused against the BIFF faction under commander Bungos in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
After the airstrikes, ground troops from the 33rd Infantry Battalion and 12th Special Forces Battalion conducted clearing operations that led to the recovery of cadavers of three slain BIFF in Barangay Pusao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
Carreon said troops also recovered one 5.56 mm K2 assault rifle and one .454-caliber pistol in the rebels’ hideout.
Ground troops turned over the remains of the slain BIFF members to local officials, led by village councilman Abo Kalim, so they can be given burial rites in accordance with Islamic tradition.
Continuing operations also led to the recovery of three M16 rifles, improvised explosive devices and six improvised hand grenades in Barangay Pamalian, also in Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said the recovery of the remains of BIFF combatants “connote operational success while our troops on the ground build up their focused military operations to hunt and pound the remaining terrorists in Central Mindanao,” said. With PNA.
