THE Philippine Army said the communist group continues to recruit minors as combatants to join in their armed struggle against the soldiers with an average age of 16 to 17 years old.
Colonel Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, 67th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army Lieutenant, said on Wednesday, June 28, that this strategy of the communist group is a manifestation of their defiance to the rights of the children.
Arming the minors to be a child soldier is a violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
One of the factors, he said, why minors were lured to join the revolutionary movement is the minors’, especially the lumad’s lack of sufficient education on the rebels. He said because of this, the minors are easily carried away by the propagandas and promises presented by their recruiters.
As President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that 75 percent of the members of the insurgents are Indigenous People (IP), Obligado added that the average educational attainment of the IPs is Grade 3 this is because of the hardship in the hinterlands where distance of the schools is too far for some of them, which prompted them to stop schooling.
He further noted that this is a challenge to the government to establish more comprehensive programs that will benefit the IPs in the uplands and to attract them to leave the ranks or not join the rebel group. With this, they will be equipped with appropriate information.
According to him, 86 percent of the members of the New People's Army (NPA) belong to the youth sector, in which, based on the definition of the United Nation (UN) is raging from 15 to 30 years old.
Obligado said from August of last year to February 2, 2017 there is a noticeable decline of atrocities perpetrated by the NPA. This is because of the joint effort of the various law enforcement agencies, local government units and civilian communities.
The military have also intensified their focused military operation against the rebels through conducting proactive measures to prevent the enemies from conducting harassments, extortion, burning and bombings.
Also, from February 3 to June 27, there were about 40 who were neutralized by the troops and 80 percent of this surrendered because of hardships in the upland.