Private schools quit NTF-ELCAC to protect academic freedom
Credit to Author: Cristina Chi| Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2025 15:12:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' largest network of private schools has withdrawn from the government's controversial anti-insurgency task force, ending a contentious three-month membership that prompted pushback from student groups and education advocates.
The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) formally ended its membership from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on January 30 after consulting its member associations, according to a statement on Sunday, February 2.
COCOPEA represents over 1,500 private schools, including religious and non-sectarian schools, universities, colleges and technical-vocational institutes. The council serves as the main coordinating body for Philippine private education policy and advocacy.
The organization made its decision "after further consultation among its member associations and upon review of its core advocacies," according to their statement.
COCOPEA also cited the need to protect academic freedom in its decision to cut ties with the NTF-ELCAC.
"COCOPEA's 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 council said in its February 2 statement.
While pledging to remain "one with NTF-ELCAC's mission to achieve unity, peace, security, and socioeconomic development," the council said it would now engage only through external dialogue rather than formal membership.
COCOPEA's legal counsel, Joseph Noel Estrada, said in an interview with DZBB on Monday that the council needed to focus on urgent education matters rather than insurgency issues. He also cited the need for COCOPEA to preserve its independence as a non-government organization.
What came before. The council's membership under the NTF-ELCAC came to light in November 2024 when task force director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. announced that COCOPEA would help combat what he called "terror grooming" on campuses — a term that the NTF-ELCAC coined but is not used in academic or education policy.
The partnership was met with criticism from student groups. For instance, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines chairperson Kej Andres called out NTF-ELCAC's reported track record of involvement in "direct harm against the youth," citing the reported abduction of environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro in 2023.
In a November 2024 statement, Andres warned that NTF-ELCAC was fostering militarization in schools meant to be safe zones. He pointed to the task force's use of graphic images showing slain rebels during National Service Training Program classes, which he said had become venues for red-tagging progressive organizations.
Student councils and organizations were reportedly not consulted about COCOPEA's membership in the task force, according to Andres. He noted that private school students had previously joined protests calling for NTF-ELCAC's defunding and abolition.
The task force, created in 2018 under former President Rodrigo Duterte, has faced accusations of red-tagging and harassing rights activists while carrying out questionable projects.
In 2021, the Commission on Audit found "deficiencies" in NTF-ELCAC projects, citing incomplete documentation, low fund utilization, and unauthorized fund transfers that cast doubt on its efficient use of public funds.
At least two UN special rapporteurs have called for the task force's abolition. Following a 10-day visit to the Philippines in February 2024, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression Irene Khan said the NTF-ELCAC, created "six years ago in a different context," had become outdated and was targeting legitimate activists rather than actual security threats.
Three months earlier, then-UN Special Rapporteur Ian Fry made a similar recommendation, though security officials dismissed his report as "incomplete."
The Commission on Human Rights has strongly criticized the practice of red-tagging, noting it violates the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence and endangers those accused.