Human rights alliance KARAPATAN strongly denounced the attempted participation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in a University of Santo Tomas (UST) research colloquium, calling it a brazen infiltration of academic spaces and a direct threat to academic freedom and the right to express.
“NTF-ELCAC has no place in schools and universities. Its record of red-tagging, vilification, and harassment against activists, human rights defenders, and even educators and students makes its presence in any academic activity, much more inside campuses, deeply alarming,” said former Kabataan Rep. Raoul Danniel Manuel, National Council member of KARAPATAN.
The forum, maliciously titled “Preventing Terror Grooming: The Philippine Experience,” is organized by the National Security Council (NSC) in partnership with the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB). According to a report by The Varsitarian, the NSC initially sought to include a presentation from NTF-ELCAC — a move that drew immediate backlash from students. The UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education (RCSSED) eventually withdrew as co-presenter upon learning of NTF-ELCAC’s involvement. After “lengthy discussions” between NSC and AB officials, the task force was eventually dropped from the event.
Despite this, the forum, with the same theme and framework set by the NSC, will still push through today, November 6, raising concerns among students and educators about the continuing attempt to bring state propaganda and militarist narratives into academic spaces.
“Even if the NTF-ELCAC name is dropped, the framework it carries remains. Allowing this forum to proceed under the NSC’s agenda is an attempt to legitimize state terror and spread fear among the youth,” Manuel added.
KARAPATAN warned that such activities contribute to a chilling effect that extends beyond the university. “By framing activism and youth organizing as ‘terror grooming,’ the state aims to scare students from speaking out — especially at a time when young people are taking a stand against corruption and government abuse. This kind of fear-mongering is meant to silence dissent and discourage collective action,” Manuel said.
Manuel urged the UST community and the youth to reject and boycott the November 6 forum, and to continue asserting the right to academic freedom and safe learning spaces free from state intimidation. “We call on students to stand firm against efforts to sanitize red-tagging and repression. Schools are for education and critical thinking, not for spreading lies,” Manuel said.
KARAPATAN also warned of a growing pattern of state agencies penetrating schools and universities to advance the government’s “whole-of-nation approach” and normalize militarization and surveillance of academic and youth spaces.
“Time and again, NTF-ELCAC has used its so-called ‘information drives’ to demonize legitimate activism and justify rights violations. Its presence in schools does nothing to promote peace or safety — it only breeds fear and distrust,” Manuel stressed.
KARAPATAN urged all academic institutions to adopt clear policies barring NTF-ELCAC and similar bodies from using academic events for propaganda or red-tagging.
“Hands off our schools. Stop terror-mongering, stop red-tagging, and respect academic freedom,” Manuel concluded.