Kabataan Partylist

The Kabataan Partylist today called on the Commission on Elections to investigate AFP-sponsored election forums and troop deployment in some schools in Metro Manila and other key cities in the country.

The AFP recently held a forum entitled “Caravan for Peace and Unity” yesterday at the Philippine Normal University and is scheduled to conduct others in Arellano, PUP and Adamson in the following days.

The forum at the PNU was caught on video tape. “We have proof that these AFP-sponsored fora are far from advocating “peace and unity” but are instead part of the AFP’s smear campaign against progressive party-lists and our allied organizations, ” said Raymond Palatino,
Kabataan Partylist president and 1 st nominee.

In the taped forum, the AFP branded youth organizations Anakbayan, the League of Filipino Students, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines and the National Union of Students of the Philippines as “communist fronts.” One of the
speakers, a certain Bryan Lim of the Philippine Army, maliciously introduced himself as a former Bayan Muna partylist coordinator who defected to the military.

For their part, the abovementioned youth organizations vehemently denied the accusations.

Eleanor de Guzman, Anakbayan national chairperson, who was present at the PNU forum, openly confronted the AFP and called them liars and red-baiters.

Joyce Caubat, a PNU student, said “PNU is an educational institution. The military has no business and no right to intervene in our student affairs.”

When asked what statements made her react, Caubat said, “The AFP was insinuating that students should not support progressive organizations and partylists because all they do is destabilize (the country). I find this statement offensive and repressive to students’ rights to organize and decide for ourselves who to support this coming election. In so many words, the AFP was actively campaigning against progressive partylists and organizations. ”

“We are alarmed by the unusual presence of military elements and intelligence operatives in plain clothes in school consortiums and even inside campuses. These accusations against youth organizations directly affect us because they are our supporters and allied organizations, ” said Palatino.

Palatino said Kabataan Partylist received complaints from its school chapters, members of student councils and organizations of military presence outside several schools in the university belt, in the Taft consortium, particularly Philippine Christian University (PCU) and Adamson University. He added that suspected intelligence operatives are becoming more visible in the University of the Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines which are known hotbeds of student activism.

“In fact one of our nominees, Angela Colmenares, was harassed by military elements after a campaign sortie in Adamson University.”

He said suspected intelligence agents have been repeatedly caught taking pictures and video of members of Kabataan Partylist, student activists and members of student councils and publications.

“The deployment of troops in schools is intended to instill fear and intimidate student councils,
publications and organizations that are critical of the Arroyo administration and support progressive partylist groups and organizations. ”

Palatino said the AFP is also conniving with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to conduct election forums in schools as part of its smear campaign against progressive partylist groups and opposition bets.

He added that attendance is made mandatory for students who are currently enrolled in the National Service Training Program (NSTP) and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). “The AFP is organizing school forums with the help of CHED and the Reserve Officers Training Corps
to demonize and campaign against progressive partylists and opposition candidates.”

Meanwhile, Palatino said the Kabataan Partylist, together with student organizations and election watchdogs, is set to file a formal complaint in COMELEC against AFP’s continued presence and campaigning in schools on March 8.

“We are calling for the cancellation of all AFP-sponsored activities and immediate pullout of troops in schools and communities in Metro Manila.”

This entry was posted on Monday, March 5th, 2007 at 11:38 am and is filed under News and Press releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.