Two former NPA rebels bare student recruitment

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Two persons wearing bonnet masks have claimed they were tasked to recruit students to join the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) when they were with the communist rebel movement.

During Friday’s “Talakayan sa PIA”, a regular media event of the Philippine Information AgencyRegion 10 here, Lalaine (not her real name) said one of her roles was to be

come a recruiter for the New People’s Army (NPA) in the youth sector.

Lalaine narrated how she was recruited by the NPA and how she recruited young students in the colleges and universities in Cagayan de Oro City.

Lalaine, who is now 33, claimed that they were able to get inside different schools by borrowing the uniforms from other members of the rebel group and using fake identification cards.

The rebel group, she added, commonly recruits members from various leftleaning student organizations such as the League of Filipino Students, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, College Editor Guild of the Philippines, Anakbayan, and Kabataan Partylist.

Meanwhile, Lalaine’s colleague, Dina (not her real name), claimed that she used to be under the NPA’s “white cluster”, working as support staff for various nongovernment organizations affiliated with the CPP funded by foreign countries to support rebel causes.

Brigadier General Edgardo de Leon, commander of the Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade, said the extent of the rebel group’s recruitment of youths has brought shock to him and other military officials.

De Leon said they are looking at holding sustained information drive in schools with known NPA recruitment activities.

He said the Army has the capability to counter the NPA’s recruitment campaign as it has an active information and education program against rebel recruitment in rural communities.