UNIFED Backs Guv’s Call to Strengthen Monitoring of Students

The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) strongly supports the call of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson for schools to be more vigilant in monitoring their students amidst allegations that most “recruitment” to join the insurgency movement are happening on campuses.

UNIFED President Manuel Lamata said the presence of student leaders in the Toboso encounter is evidence enough that the insurgency group have a strong presence in our academic institutions.

“Sadly, many of them are even ‘scholars ng bayan,’ attending top-notch government funded universities,” Lamata said, adding that it is also incumbent upon the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod to investigate how one of their supposed student leaders ended up getting tagged as a member of the rebel movement.

“How many more young lives will be extinguished because of distorted beliefs? We do not want our children to be involved in any terroristic activities,” Lamata said.

He said recruitment in schools is not surprising and have been happening for decades. “I think it is incumbent upon our academic institutions to strongly advocate among the students that there are democratic ways to air their grievances instead of being sympathetic or worse, join the rebel movement, that has been denounced not only locally, but internationally, as a terrorist group.”

Lamata hopes the Governor’s call to school administrators will be regarded as a priority agenda as the new school year is about to start. “Let us strongly remind our youth that we, Negrenses are for peace and this is the only ideology that should be advocated in our schools.”*