PNP says student recruitment by communist groups continue in some schools

The Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed on Tuesday that 36 of 168 militant students were recruited by communist terrorist groups over the past 11 years, sparking renewed concerns about radicalization in educational institutions.

PNP Directorate for Operations Police Col. Randy Arceo shared this information during a Senate hearing, noting that majority of the student recruits—123 in total—hailed from universities and colleges.

Of this figure, 34 were high school students and 11 were elementary students. The fatalities, Arceo said, were killed during military offensive operations. He added that at least 41 were arrested while 92 yielded to authorities.

The PNP also highlighted that 23 out of 102 monitored schools continue to witness recruitment activities by communist terrorist groups.

Putian National High School in Cuartero, Capiz accounted for the highest number of students, who were recruited to join the Communist Party of the Philippines -New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).  

The school is followed by higher learning institutions such as the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Manila, UP Manila, and UP Tacloban City.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, called for immediate action to halt the recruitment of students in schools and ensure their safety.

“One thing is clear – if we’re going to successfully combat violent extremism, we need to understand all the factors because we can’t change minds without knowing what’s in them,” he said.

During the hearing, Dela Rosa underscored the importance of exposing the tactics used to exploit student rights and welfare, including the misuse of constitutionally enshrined academic freedom to radicalize and recruit both students and teachers.

Dela Rosa noted that previous investigations had temporarily slowed down recruitment activities, but recent efforts under the new administration have seen a resurgence of radicalization concerns.