THE WESTERN Visayas Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict will continue to hold dialogues with state universities and colleges and reach out to schools where communist groups held recruitment activities.

Associate Provincial Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales said task force members joined separate dialogues initiated by the Aklan State University, Filamer Christian University, and Central Philippine University.

The three schools were among several colleges and universities tagged by the NTF-ELCAC as recruitment areas of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.

“There’s a commitment on the part of universities to protect the university. They will undertake measures to prevent infiltration by the CPP/NPA to conduct recruitment in their schools,” Gonzales said.

“There were also initiatory talks with the Iloilo Science and Technology University, Capiz State University, and the University of Antique,” he added.

Gonzales lambasted Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago who declared on Facebook that the dialogue with ASU will be another “red-tagging” incident.

“As a result of that dialogue, the ASU has issued a statement to protect their students and the institution from all forms of infiltration, recruitment, and radicalization by any or all terrorist organizations, including the CPP/NPA. It was voluntary on the part of the university to issue a statement against the CPP/NPA,” Gonzales said.

He dared Elago to condemn the CPP/NPA if her partylist is really sincere in protecting the youth.

“If you cannot find it in your heart to condemn the atrocities of the CPP-NPA and you are finding it difficult to fight for the rights of a trafficked child who was forced to join the CPP/NPA as a child warrior, then maybe, your Kabataan partylist is not really sincere in protecting and upholding the rights of the millions of Filipino youth whose future depends on how we protect them from all forms of violence and terrorism-related activities,” Gonzales said.