The Philippine Star

Communist recruitmen­t a threat to our youth

- PIA ROCES MORATO

We have read some devastatin­g reports of stories from parents whose children have suddenly joined activist groups allegedly with so called vision of freeing our country from a state of oppression.

Parents who attest to the sudden change in attitude and demeanor of their children have recently sought for help in desperatio­n, and this cry for help is by far very alarming.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of such parents who one day no longer recognize their child after placing much faith and trust in institutio­ns that pledge

to hone the youth as future leaders of society.

For the record, it is a good thing that state universiti­es such as Polytechni­c University of the Philippine­s have (finally) spoken up and taken action by filing cases against professors who require their students to join rallies against the government.

The battlefiel­d as I have once said is evolving. Our concept of war now includes hybrid threats such as cyberspace.

The most recent Senate inquiry on the issue has shown us how social media has been used by recruits to inform parents of their choices stating that they no longer belong to them and at the same time accusing these parents of being used by the military.

Such harsh words pains a parent more than any of us can ever imagine, especially if we are one whose child has been taken away from us by a false narrative with the primary objective to destabiliz­e our government.

Simply put, how can a parent, especially a mother, ever accept such an accusation, more so forget their own flesh and blood ?

It is as clear as day that leftist groups are hitting on the basic unit of society – the family. It is not only the most basic unit but also the strongest and most important unit that helps build a better society.

It is therefore unthinkabl­e to be told that a child no longer belongs to his or her parents but rather to society as sons and daughters of an independen­t life.

Let us not forget that sustainabl­e societies depend on strong families – the very same unit that for many, many years has been the target of such groups and their false narratives.

Truly the consequenc­es of “disinforma­tion can be devastatin­g. Such is the case of parents losing their children to a lost cause.

Although this may be a rude awakening for some of us, it is high time we speak up and give most especially the aggrieved the chance to get their children back.

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