NTF-ELCAC to continue fighting terrorism with private schools

February 16, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will continue its engagement and close collaboration with the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), the largest network of private schools in the country, despite the group’s recent withdrawal of its membership from the task force’s executive committee.

“NTF-ELCAC remains firm in its campaign against violent extremism and terrorist-grooming, particularly the deceptive recruitment of young students into armed struggle. We believe that schools should be centers of learning, free from exploitation by radical and extremist elements who prey on the idealism of youth to push their destructive agendas,” the NTF-ELCAC said in a press statement.

The COCOPEA, composed of 1,500 private schools nationwide, announced last Feb. 3 its decision to terminate its membership in the NTF-ELCAC executive committee, following pressure from teachers’ and students’ groups.

The COCOPEA withdrew its membership a little more than two months after joining the committee.

In its statement, the COCOPEA said that while it withdraws membership from NTF-ELCAC, it “remains one with NTF-ELCAC’s mission to achieve unity, peace, security and socioeconomic development. COCOPEA will continue to represent the private education sector in dialogues with the task force on matters that align with its goals and objectives.”

The COCOPEA added that its “withdrawal from the task force is of utmost significance in preserving the essentiality of academic freedom and the vital role it plays in a democratic society.”

The NTF-ELCAC said that while it respects the COCOPEA’s decision as it recognizes the move as “an internal matter,” the task force appreciates the association’s commitment to continue collaborating with the task force on its mission of “unity, peace, security and socioeconomic development.”

“This distinction is crucial – withdrawal from the Execom is one thing, but continued collaboration is another. The task force values its engagement with the private education sector, especially in advancing academic freedom, countering radicalization and fostering an environment where education remains a pillar of peace and national development,” the NTF-ELCAC said.

“Moving forward, we will continue close engagements with COCOPEA and all educational institutions that share our vision of safe, secure and development-oriented learning spaces for all Filipino students,” it added.

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