MANILA – The government task force on communist insurgency on Wednesday called for a united action against "corruption of the mind," which it described as the "most insidious form of corruption."
"Corruption manifests in many ways: the theft of public resources is a grave betrayal, but so too is the corruption of values that normalizes violence as a tool for change and dismisses dialogue as weakness," Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), said in a statement.
"Both erode the foundations of our nation."
Torres issued the statement as the country celebrates September as National Peace Consciousness Month.
"This Peace Month, the NTF-ELCAC calls for united action," Torres said.
He said schools, universities, and community spaces must remain sanctuaries of debate and civic engagement, and not staging grounds for violent extremism.
He cited recent incidents in Mindoro where claims of "militarization" were used to exploit student advocates, and the disruption of a student council assembly at the University of the Philippines by groups with agendas unrelated to student welfare.
These, Torres said, exemplify "'corruption of the mind' in action."
"[Corruption of the mind] hijacks the passion for justice and redirects it towards destruction," he added.
Torres said NTF-ELCAC's efforts to hold terrorist recruiters accountable must not be misconstrued as an attack on activism.
"We support constructive activism and critical thinking. These are pillars of our democracy. What we oppose is the deliberate manipulation of our youth and communities to embrace violence," he said.
This position, Torres added, aligns with international commitments, including the United Nations protocols against the recruitment of children by armed groups. (PNA)
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