Malacañang on Thursday urged the public to remain vigilant after the government’s anti-insurgency task force reported that communist rebels are exploiting public anger over corruption to recruit new members.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Filipinos should not allow their frustration over corruption to be used by what she described as “obstructionists or political opponents.”
“Our request to everyone, whether young people or the more mature ones, is to think critically. Violence is not the answer, and this issue should not be used, if the report of the rebels is accurate, to turn people against the government,” Castro said.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) warned that communist rebels are exploiting corruption to recruit youth, students, and even public servants into armed struggle. Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said testimonies of former rebels reveal that the CPP-NPA-NDF distorts legitimate issues to lure recruits, targeting schools and communities.
Torres stressed that campuses and communities must remain venues for democratic dialogue, not extremism, and clarified that holding recruiters accountable should not be mistaken for an attack on activism.
Castro emphasized that while recruitment efforts are being monitored, they are not yet considered a serious concern for the administration. “Since this has already been reported by NTF-ELCAC, monitoring is in place,” she said.
Malacañang reiterated its call for unity in addressing corruption, saying reforms should come through legal and collective action rather than insurgency.
