The Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict 6 (RTF-ELCAC 6) has boosted its effort to end the recruitment activities of the New People’s Army (NPA) on the students.
The RTF-ELCAC 6 recently met with the school officials of three state universities and colleges in Western Visayas – Filamer Christian University (FCU) in Roxas City, Aklan State University in Aklan, and Central Philippine University in Iloilo City – to tackle the alleged effort of the rebel group to infiltrate the educational institutions.
The dialogue was centered on enlightening the academe on the crippling tactics of the NPA to recruit students, said Major General Eric Vinoya, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army and chairman of RTF-ELCAC 6 Peace, Law Enforcement and Development Support (PLEDS) cluster.
They also forge a partnership with the state universities to protect them from the “real attack on academic freedom,” he added.
The state universities through their presidents have also expressed willingness to participate in any endeavor that will foster growth and development, not only for the institution but the students, he said.
RTF-ELCAC 6 is composed of 12 clusters from the different government agencies that were tasked to lead the government’s peace campaign.
NO RECRUITMENT
FCU strongly denied the claims that it is a recruitment ground of the NPA.
George Cortel, FCU president, in a statement after the school was red-tagged by the National Task Force-ELCAC, said: “As an institution, FCU has never condoned any act of recruitment of its students to become members of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front).”
“FCU does not promote any on-campus movement to destabilize the government. As a Christian institution, FCU believes in the rule of law, and advocates for amicable solutions of grievances,” he stressed.
He added, “FCU, under the influence of Christian faith, seeks to develop spiritually, intellectually and physically whole students, by providing relevant quality education in a Christian atmosphere.”
Since it was founded in 1904, FCU has been emphasizing
the three balanced components of human potentialities: the spiritual, the intellectual, and the physical, with the spiritual component as the base of the other two, he said.
“Although it maintains an ecumenical and non-political stance, FCU trains its students to become mature and responsible citizens of the country, who, propelled by Christian love, reach out and participate in nation-building,” he said.
He said it is FCU’s Christian responsibility to mold the students it is entrusted to teach and care for, into peace-loving and Christ-centered Filamerians, active in nation-building, and morally aware of their duties and responsibilities to the government.*
