The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines denounced in strongest terms the latest act of political persecution by National Task Force to End Local Communist and Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) against Rep. France Castro following the unfounded ethics complaint filed today.
“Hanggang hindi binubuwag ang NTF-ELCAC ay magpapatuloy ito sa layunin nitong maghasik ng kasamaan laban sa mga progresibong mga grupo at indibidwal at sa mamamayang lumalaban. Malinaw ang track record nito sa panunupil at pagpapalaganap ng disimpormasyon. Malinaw na itong inihaing ethics complaint kay Teacher France upang gumawa na naman ng gulo at ilihis muli ang usapin sa paglulustay ni Sara Duterte ng pondo ng bayan sa OVP man o DepEd. Kasuklam-suklam din ang paggamit ng kampo ng mga Duterte sa mga katutubong Lumad upang idiin si Teacher France, sa kabila ng katotohanang ang tunay na naglagay sa panganib, nangharas at nang-abuso sa kabataang Lumad ay ang rehimeng Duterte, kasabwat ang mga paramilitar at militar”, stated Vladimer Quetua, ACT Chairperson.
“The initial unjust court decision by the Tagum RTC is baseless, erroneous and unjust. The court turned a blind eye to the documented military and paramilitary violence against Lumad schools and communities that necessitated the National Solidarity Mission in the first place. Instead, it used the three-hour walk of children at night and an absurd ‘conspiracy’ theory to pin down the Talaingod 13 on trumped-up charges of child abuse,” Quetua explained.
ACT also decried the Marcos Jr. administration’s inaction on people’s call to abolish NTF-ELCAC and its perpetuation of the Duterte regime’s fascist policies. Teachers and education workers reaffirmed their resolute support for Teacher France and the Talaingod 13 and called on the higher court to deliver justice and overturn the grossly unjust decision against them.
“We urge the House leadership to immediately junk this politically-motivated case that only serves to intimidate and silence teachers, human rights defenders, and genuine people’s representatives like Teacher France who stand up for indigenous people’s right to education and serve as a strong voice against corruption and state neglect,” Quetua added.
ACT emphasized the urgent need to abolish the NTF-ELCAC to put an end to systematic attacks on teachers, unions, and progressive organizations, and called for rechanneling the task force’s multi-billion peso budget towards addressing the massive shortages and pressing concerns in the education sector.#
