Elevate the discourse in universities toward just peace, nation-building

12 March 2026

Recent discussions in social media which arose from an important forum held at the University of Santo Tomas late last year remind us how deeply felt and complex the issues of insurgency, youth recruitment, and academic freedom remain in our country. Universities have always been spaces where ideas collide. Here, convictions are tested and difficult national questions are debated, in the aim of elevating discourse that promotes peace and academic freedom, steers it away from mere propaganda and toward just peace and nation-building.

In keeping with its mandate, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict has always respected this role. We believe that academic institutions must remain places where students and faculty alike can express their views, challenge each others’ opinions and biases, and examine even the most contentious issues in an atmosphere of intellectual honesty. The forum held at UST was part of that tradition of open discussion.

Individuals who choose to speak about the realities of insurgency and the recruitment of young people into armed struggle should not automatically be portrayed as enemies of academic freedom. In fact, many of those who speak most candidly about these matters, including former rebels, scholars, and concerned educators, do so precisely because they have witnessed firsthand how young lives can be drawn into cycles of violence through ideological manipulation and, for want of a better phrase, terror grooming.

Professors and resource persons who raise these concerns deserve to be heard, even when their views are strongly contested. At the same time, it is equally important that discussions are conducted with the level of respect and restraint that the academic environment demands.

Passionate debates are part of university life, but the manner in which we engage each other, whether with respect or dismissal, ultimately shapes whether dialogue enlightens or divides.

What happened in UST and the back-and-forth that followed should therefore be seen not simply as a dispute between individuals but as a reflection of a larger national conversation.

For decades, the Communist Party of the Philippines and its national democratic organizations have invested significant effort in organizing and recruiting within major universities and schools across the country. This is not a claim invented out of thin air, as it is a historical reality acknowledged by former members, even by the movement itself. It is not the fault or failing of these schools that a few of their students started as well-intentioned activists later became armed insurgents. Many of the former rebels who now work in peace building recount how their political journeys began inside campuses where narratives romanticized armed struggle while downplaying its human cost.

Precisely because of this history, discussions, especially academic discourse, about recruitment, radicalization, and the protection of the youth are necessary. These discussions may be uncomfortable for some, and they will inevitably produce disagreements. But avoiding them altogether does not serve the interests of students, universities, or the nation. The challenge before us is not to silence debate but to elevate it, and how not to dismiss these very real concerns with catchphrases like “red-tagging.”

Students must feel free to express dissenting views without fear of intimidation, just as educators and resource persons must be able to raise legitimate concerns about recruitment and insurgent influence without being automatically accused of malicious labeling. In the end, universities thrive when disagreement sharpens understanding rather than deepens hostility.

The NTF-ELCAC will never tire in engaging academic institutions with respect and openness, even as passionate students misconstrue or even intentionally misrepresent our intentions. Our shared objective is to ensure that Filipino youth are equipped with truth, critical thinking, and opportunity, not drawn into conflicts that only prolong suffering and division.

Usec. Ernesto C. Torres Jr.

Executive Director, NTF‑ELCAC