ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro strongly condemned the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict for conducting red-tagging orientations in schools.

Castro said such orientation was recently held at the Philippine Science High School CAR campus where the NTF-ELCAC forced Grades 11 and 12 students to attend.

“To force grades 11 and 12 students to attend these orientations and disturb their classes should not be allowed,” she said.

“Sa panahon na matindi pa rin ang education crisis sa bansa at maraming kailangan ayusin at habulin sa curriculum ng ating mga kabataan, hindi dapat sinisingit pa ang ganitong mga orientation na wala namang ibang objective kundi ang magturo paano mambully ng kapwa Pilipino, paano mandahas at paano ituring na kalaban ang mga mamamayang ginagamit lamang kanilang mga karapatang pantao,” Castro added.

The lawmaker said that the lectures of the NTF-ELCAC are attempts to condition the minds of the youth into thinking that activities protected by free speech such as voicing out dissent to the anti-people policies of the government are wrong and illegal.

“Tinuturuan natin ang mga kabataan na ang pambubully ay masama pero pinapayagan nating makapasok at magsagawa ng red-tagging orientation ang mga tulad ng NTF-ELCAC na walang ibang layunin kundi mambully ng kapwa Pilipino na buhay at kabuhayan ng kaniyang mga biktima ang nakasalalay,” she added.

She said that DepEd order 32 declares schools as zones of peace.

“Schools are zones of peace and red-tagging orientations in schools must stop. We call administrators of schools to stand for the rights of their students and teachers by ensuring that schools are not launching pads for the military and military objectives,” Castro said.