CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Central Luzon Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) is ramping up its efforts to combat the recruitment of vulnerable sectors by the communist-terrorist groups (CTGs).
Through intensified awareness campaigns, the RTF-ELCAC’s Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM) cluster aims to protect students, labor unions, indigenous peoples, farmers, fisherfolk, and rural communities from exploitation and radicalization.
During the fifth episode of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas of the Philippine Information Agency for 2025, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Regional Director Ulysses Untalan explained that while armed insurgency has already been dismantled in Central Luzon, the underground movements linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front continue their recruitment efforts.
“We may have weakened the armed component, but we should not be complacent because the battle is not yet over. The underground movement remains active in infiltrating schools, industries, and marginalized communities,” he emphasized.
To counter this, NICA and member-agencies of the SAKM cluster have been actively conducting forums, dialogues, and information drives in different universities and colleges, as well as in communities, across the region.
From July 2022 to February 2025, about 334 awareness campaigns were conducted that have reached more than 74,500 stakeholders including students, teachers, barangay officials, and labor representatives.
These initiatives focus on exposing CTG recruitment tactics, promoting vigilance, and empowering communities to resist infiltration.
One of the most effective strategies in these campaigns has been the involvement of former rebels, who share their personal experiences of manipulation, hardship, and disillusionment within the CTGs.
“These testimonies serve as eye-openers, especially for students who are often the primary targets. When they hear from former rebels about the deceptions they went through, they realize the dangers,” he furthered.
In addition to targeting youth, the SAKM cluster has also heightened its engagement with labor unions, especially in major industrial zones like Clark and Bataan.
Untalan noted that given Central Luzon’s economic significance, workers’ rights issues have been exploited by left leaning organizations to infiltrate unions and recruit members under the guise of labor advocacy.
To sustain these efforts, the SAKM cluster continues to strengthen partnerships with local government units, private sector, and academic institutions, with recent collaborations with Bulacan Agricultural State College and Don Honorio Ventura State University resulting in institutionalized awareness campaigns within their campuses.
“Education is one of our strongest defenses. If we can equip students and workers with the right knowledge, we can effectively prevent recruitment before it even starts,” he pressed.
Beyond educational efforts, the RTF-ELCAC continues to expand community outreach programs that address economic and social issues often exploited by the CTGs, such as poverty, livelihood, and access to education.
By bringing basic government services, livelihood programs, and scholarship opportunities directly to affected communities, the RTF-ELCAC aims to strengthen public trust in the government and eliminate the conditions that CTGs capitalize on for recruitment. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)