Soldiers hold Anti-Communist 'Teach-ins'
Jaime Laude
Original report at ABS-CBN News Online
www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=82120
6/24/2007

Philippine Army (PA) troops are back in Metro Manila and, this time, they are going to the colleges and universities to counter communist propaganda within the ranks of the student body.

Col. Ricardo Visaya, commanding officer of the Army’s Civil-Military Operations (CMO) battalion, said the Army’s ongoing “teach-in” drive in Metro Manila’s schools have the written permission of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Visaya and his men, who were earlier deployed to 29 slum communities, were pulled out of their assignments due to mounting criticisms from militant and cause-oriented groups.

The Army-CMO redeployment to these slum communities is now under review by the military leadership based on requests from 19 barangay captains who want the soldiers back in their communities.

Known as the Student Sector Team (SST), an Army-CMO team headed by Capt. Rene Ogues held its first student forum on Tuesday at the Philippine Women’s University (PWU), with 200 students attending the event.

“This is part of our national security awareness program for the students (so they will) know the real colors of the communist’s New People’s Army (NPA),” Visaya said Saturday.

Before the PWU’s student forum, Army soldiers also held seminars and lectures in four public schools and five universities and colleges in Metro Manila.

Dalen Apigo, PWU’s coordinator of the National Student Training Program (NSTP), lauded the soldiers for tackling relevant and enlightening issues affecting the lives of students.

“This (teach-in) will greatly help and enlighten students regarding the strategies employed by the communists and their deceptions, which put in jeopardy the future of our youth,” Apigo said.

She also said the academic sector should support the efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Meanwhile, in allowing the Army’s SST to conduct teach-ins in different schools, colleges and universities in Metro Manila, the CHED requires the Army leadership to coordinate with school officials before they conduct the seminars.

“We are not going to simply enter school grounds without prior notice to school administrators,” Visaya said.