UST Colloquium on Youth Engagement Proceeds Amid Calls for Cancellation

November 4, 2025

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) recognizes the University of Santo Tomas for upholding academic freedom through its hosting of the November 6 colloquium on civic engagement and ideological awareness. The university’s commitment to facilitating evidence-based dialogue reflects higher education’s vital role in nurturing critical thinking.

While NTF-ELCAC was not formally involved in this UST-led initiative, we view such academic platform as essential to addressing concerns about extremist recruitment targeting youth. The inclusion of scholarly research and firsthand accounts of radicalization processes provides valuable perspective for safeguarding students.

We note with concern attempts by certain groups – particularly Kabataan Partylist and its allies – to discredit this forum through preemptive accusations of “propaganda” and demands for its cancellation. Such efforts to restrict academic discourse contradict claims of supporting democracy and dissent. Intimidation of institutions hosting diverse viewpoints undermines the intellectual pluralism that universities exist to protect.

We reiterate our call for all stakeholders to engage substantively: Attend, listen, and debate ideas respectfully. Universities must remain spaces where challenging truths are examined through reason – not silenced by ideological gatekeeping.

This colloquium builds on a successful 2024 academic initiative that provided students balanced perspectives on youth radicalization. Replicating such forums nationwide empowers educational institutions to fulfill their societal role: equipping youth with knowledge to form independent judgments and resist exploitation.

NTF-ELCAC remains committed to supporting inclusive dialogue that advances peacebuilding, civic awareness, and youth protection. Truth and constructive engagement, not division, define our approach.

We commend UST’s leadership in affirming that education thrives when reason, evidence, and diverse perspectives converge.

Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr.

Executive Director, NTF-ELCAC