University of Sto. Tomas (UST) students condemned and opposed the anti-youth National Task Force-Elcac for its upcoming forum inside the campus on November 6. They said the forum titled “Preventing Terror Grooming: The Philippine Experience” insults the dignity of the university and the Thomasians who defend the truth.

The UST Political Science Department will lead the forum to discuss topics such as “terror grooming,” “recruitment practices,” “experiences of former rebels,” and “analysis of the state’s counterinsurgency policies.” The National Security Council, the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, and the UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education are co-organizing the event.

Anakbayan, Kabataan Party-list (KPL), and Panday Sining at UST led the opposition to the forum. Anakbayan UST spokesperson Dex Frogoso said, “No matter how small or large, NTF-Elcac’s participation inside the university tramples upon the spirit of Veritas in Caritate—the pursuit of truth in the name of love and service to others.”

Frogoso added that UST students know the NTF-Elcac’s purpose is not the “peace building” it promotes in forums commonly held in universities. “Their mission is ‘fear building’—to create a culture of terror, repress the youth, and silence the voices of truth,” he said.

NTF-Elcac and its interference in universities has historically baselessly linked progressive legal youth organizations and activist groups to the revolutionary movement in the Philippines. It arbitrarily brands legal organizations as “fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.” These are part of the NTF-Elcac’s implementation of the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD) under the Marcos administration.

KPL-UST also condemned the NTF-Elcac for its countless human rights violations. The group listed the filing of criminal charges to harass youth leaders, intimidation and harassment of activists, abductions and secret detentions, and other abuses.

NTF-Elcac also targets KPL to cancel its registration as a party under the party-list system. “Allowing NTF-Elcac inside UST allows terror to take root in the halls of learning,” KPL-UST said.

“Instead of addressing the roots of poverty, unemployment, and injustice, billions of people’s funds are wasted on ghost projects, fake programs, and propaganda against progressive youth,” Frogoso added.

Frogoso emphasized, “The real danger does not come from organizations that promote awareness, but from institutions that criminalize critical thinking and patriotism.” Anakbayan UST urged fellow students to defend their freedom of thought and right to act.

The students’ reaction compelled the UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education to withdraw as forum co-organizer. However, the UST Political Science Department insisted on continuing the activity under the banner of promoting “plurality of voices and opinions.”