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Private schools group withdraws from NTF-ELCAC

MANILA, Philippines — The largest network of private schools in the country has terminated its membership in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), more than two months since it joined.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), composed of 1,500 private schools nationwide, announced its withdrawal from the NTF-ELCAC’s executive committee following pressure from teachers and students’ groups.

“After further consultation among its member-associations and upon review of its core advocacies, COCOPEA has opted to strengthen its education initiatives by preserving its collaborative role outside of a formal membership in the NTF-ELCAC,” COCOPEA said in a statement.

COCOPEA joined NTF-ELCAC’s executive committee in November on the condition that the controversial task force would stop red-tagging and respect academic freedom and human rights.

This did not stop teachers, academics and student leaders from criticizing COCOPEA, telling the group to rethink its “misguided and self-defeating” decision, as the task force has been targeting students, teachers and school administration in its red-baiting operations.

They cited previous instances when NTF-ELCAC targeted private schools, most notably in 2018 when 18 schools in Metro Manila were tagged as conspirators in the alleged “Red October” plot to oust then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Recognized as the unifying voice of private education in the Philippines, COCOPEA remains steadfast in its role as an independent non-government organization that represents the interests and concerns of the private education sector as it seeks to promote, advance and safeguard quality education in the country,” COCOPEA said.

“As a council of education associations composed of diverse members from faith-based mission schools to nonsectarian schools, universities, colleges and tech-voc institutes, COCOPEA’s withdrawal from the task force is of utmost significance in preserving the essentiality of academic freedom and the vital role it plays in a democratic society,” it added.

Despite its withdrawal from NTF-ELCAC, COCOPEA said it still believed in the task force’s mission to

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