Saving the Youth from NPA terrorists, Empowering Future Leaders: Community Support Program Teams Conduct Youth Leadership Seminar

In its pursuit of peace, teams composing the Army’s 53rd Infantry “Matapat” Battalion (53IB), 547th Engineer “Agila” Battalion (547EBn), and personnel from Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Police Office (ZNPPO) engaged and empowered the youth in two of Siayan town’s hinterland barangays after their successful conduct of Community Support Programs (CSP).

Barangays Pange and Macasing in Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte province are long treated by Communist-Terrorist Groups (CTGs) as their safe havens.

The CSP teams, in coordination with the Barangay Officials of barangays Pange and Macasing, initiated the conduct of Youth Leadership Seminar to save the youth from Communist-NPA terrorist recruitment and deceptive narratives.

The YLS is an activity engaging the youth to become responsible citizens and advocates of the government’s peace and development initiatives.

It also seeks to embolden the mind of the youth by instilling social responsibility, developing their critical thinking, and raising their awareness on social matters.

Recently, the youth has been known to be the vulnerable targets of CPP-NPA-NDF’s deceptive recruitment. Former high-ranking Cadres of the CPP-NPA-NDF revealed that NPA terrorists replenish their ranks through their deception and recruitment from schools.

The conduct of CSP, including the conduct of YLS at the barangay level, aims to clear conflict-affected areas (CAAs) and barangays of NPA-terrorist influence. It prevents the resurgence of NPA terrorists and helps the community in the establishment of a conflict-resilient community.

Also part of the Barangay Level-YLS are team building activities that seek to unite the youth and forge their camaraderie.