Kaguma welcomes with trepidation the recent surfacing of Patricia Cierva and Cedrick Casaño, two students that were taken into custody by the military in Cagayan. At the same time, we still insist that the military and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), now Chaired by Vice President Sara Duterte, are liable for the abduction of the two students and their companions, as well as Gene Roz Jamil “Bazoo” De Jesus who remain missing. It is inexplicable that the students and their companions were only presented to the public by the notorious NTF-ELCAC weeks after they were apprehended, and their disappearance made public by supporters, friends, and universities. Such deceitful maneuver deprives the individuals of their basic rights to contact their families and seek legal counsel. But more disquieting than these human rights violations is the torture that these individuals were conceivably subjected to. These barbaric acts, created and perfected during US-backed Marcos martial rule, wantonly disregards the humanitarian and human rights’ provisions of CARHRIL (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law) specifically the following: The right not to be subjected to physical or mental torture, solitary confinement, rape and sexual abuse, and other inhuman, cruel o degrading treatment, detention and punishment (Article 2, Section 7).

As revolutionary educators, we abide by the basic principles of revolutionary pedagogy that we do not force or impose our ideas on the masses no matter how backward they may think. Revolutionary educators patiently learn from the masses about their conditions, problems, interests, and aspirations before it dares teach them what to do. As Jose Maria Sison, the greatest revolutionary teacher, our nation had ever produced once put it: “One should not throw big theories and big slogans without first learning the concrete conditions and problems of the people.” Therefore, contrary to the laughable decrepit accusations of NTF-ELCAC and their Medusa-like tentacles, the League of Filipino Parents and the senile members of the Duterte Youth, that allegedly communists “brainwash” students, it is now very obvious that the barbaric armed agents of the state and the asinine members of the NTF-ELCAC are the torture specialists who actually are “brainwashing” “fake” surrenderees so they can brag about their sham accomplishments to justify their stupid existence and steal billions of tax payers’ money for their bogus counter-insurgency programs.

As revolutionary educators, we cannot blame nor put the onus of responsibility to the “forced” and “coerced” surrenderees for publicly renouncing their political ideologies. We know that deep down the hearts of these revolutionaries, despite the machinations of the military and the scheming of NTF-ELCAC is the firm conviction that they have the correct line. In the end, if they denounce the revolutionary movement, it is not an argument against the objective and scientific historical truth of the national democratic revolution.

We therefore call on our fellow progressive and patriotic teachers to continue teaching our students the basic principles of national democratic struggle. After a long hiatus of being confined to modular learning and hybrid teaching, let us bring our students to the factories, expose them to striking workers, encourage them to do research on the working conditions of our farmers, ask them to write term papers by interviewing contractual workers on the alienation they experience. Let us not be satisfied with merely assigning progressive texts and readings for our classes. Vital though these readings, they are not substitute for learning with and from the masses. The counterrevolutionaries are miles away from the toiling masses. They have no roots in the daily grind of our people. That is the advantage of revolutionary teachers and education workers. Let’s build on this advantage so we can educate more students and persuade our fellow teachers to join the national democratic movement.

Kaguma members will neither cower nor be intimidated by the terroristic acts of NTF-ELCAC. We will be undeterred by the shameless propaganda of the armed agents of the state backed by the US-Marcos- Duterte regime. We will persevere in advancing our people’s protracted war until all fascists and imperialists are wiped out in our nation.

Down with fascism!
Down with the US-Marcos puppet regime!
Long live our educator martyrs!
Abolish NTF-Elcac!