MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Tuesday warned of the communist rebels' "tactic" of exploiting public outrage over government corruption to recruit new members.
"The most dangerous form of corruption is not only the plunder of public coffers but the corruption of the Filipino mind," NTF-ELCAC executive director, Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., said in a statement.
Torres said it has been established that communist rebels take advantage of public indignation over government corruption to recruit new members, particularly from the youth and the vulnerable sectors.
"Former rebels, especially the youth, have long attested that corruption in the bureaucracy was among the systemic reasons they were agitated into taking up arms," he said.
"They have also revealed how the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People's Army–National Democratic Front (CPP–NPA–NDF) exploits this reality by preying on the youth, students, and vulnerable sectors, including even public servants, by twisting legitimate grievances into recruitment tactics for violent extremism."
NTF-ELCAC issued the statement as corruption issues involving government flood control projects continue to make the headlines.
Torres said there is a need to ensure that schools and communities remain safe spaces for legitimate debate and constructive civic engagement.
"We have to be alarmed when, instead of fostering genuine love for our country, they become pipelines for terror grooming by the CPP-NPA-NDF," he said.
The task force urged parents, educators, civil servants, and communities to "remain vigilant and guard not only our resources but the minds of our youth."
It also called on lawmakers to work on purging the government of corrupt bureaucrats, "while also enacting measures that ensure terrorist recruiters are held accountable under the law." (PNA)
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