𝗡𝗧𝗙-𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗔𝗖: 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵

25 February 2026

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) expresses full support for the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as it proceeds with the February 26, 2026 disqualification hearing against Kabataan Partylist.

This hearing is not political theater. It is due process.

Recent incidents involving youth linked to Kabataan-affiliated networks reinforce a disturbing pattern: ideological grooming that begins in campuses and ends in armed insurgency. When young students repeatedly surface in New People’s Army (NPA) structures, it ceases to be coincidence. It becomes a pipeline.

The petition before COMELEC is anchored on sworn testimonies, public records, and documented affiliations. These are matters of evidence, not speculation.

The Party-List System Act is clear: organizations that advocate or support armed rebellion have no place in the democratic process. The central question is simple: Does Kabataan genuinely represent the youth, or has it become a staging ground for recruitment into the underground movement?

Let us be clear:

This is not persecution. This is protection.

This is not about silencing dissent. It is about stopping deception.

Activism is a democratic right. Grooming young Filipinos into violent extremism is not.

We call on COMELEC to act firmly based on law and evidence.

We call on parents, educators, and civil society to remain vigilant.

We call on the youth to demand representation that builds the nation, not one that leads them into armed conflict.

Democracy must never be used as a shield for subversion.

Our youth deserve empowerment, not exploitation.

The February 26 hearing is more than a legal proceeding.

It is a national warning.

Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr.

Executive Director

NTF-ELCAC