DEPED, NTF-ELCAC warn teachers, youth against front groups’ agitators
THE Department of Education (DepEd) and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Tuesday warned public school teachers and the youth to remain vigilant in joining groups that are considered legal fronts of communist groups.
The agencies made the warning following tirades of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) against DepEd amid terrorist attacks in Masbate, Camarines Sur and Rizal.
In a press conference, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said that although it is not illegal to join organizations, it is important to identify the organizations’ nature.
“No, we will not abridge the freedom of our teachers to join these organizations or for these organizations to conduct their activity whatever they want. But kahit papayagan natin sila sa activities nila dahil di naman natin sila mapipigilan (even if we allow them in their activities because we cannot stop them), we will not condone teachers who commit or engage in criminal activities,” he said.
Officials discussed their stance on organizations like the ACT, which is said to be “linked to underground mass organizations.”
“That’s why I call on the teachers, including those who are members of the ACT, to be more vigilant. They should be discriminating. And try to understand, evaluate them and check their profile for themselves, as to where their leaders are directing them. Listen to what they are saying,” NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres Jr. said.
Torres said that although the majority of ACT members are not part of the underground propaganda, the profile and intent of its core leaders must be tested.
“Majority of them are not really aware that they are supporting the underground mass organization which is KaGuMa. KaGuMa is Katipunan ng mga Gurong Makabayan… Their core leaders in ACT, we can confidently say that they are part of KaGuMa, that they are party members of the CPP-NPA-NDF. So what we should be dealing with are those agitators within the ACT,” he said.
The NTF-ELCAC described agitators as individuals or leaders who operate with the intent to agitate others, leading them to doing something criminal or socially unacceptable. Philippine News Agency
