Bato, NTF-ELCAC bill on “terror-grooming” violates youth’s right to organize, freedom of expression and opinion
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
14 September 2025
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
Bato, NTF-ELCAC bill on “terror-grooming” violates youth’s right to organize, freedom of expression and opinion
KARAPATAN assailed Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for sponsoring Senate Bill No. 1366 entitled “The Terror Grooming Prevention Act” ostensibly to stem recruitment of youth into the New People’s Army (NPA).
“Rattled by the youth’s outstanding response to recent revelations of bureaucratic corruption,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay, “Bato dela Rosa is now foisting upon us this preposterous bill to justify violations of the youth’s right to organize, their freedom of expression and opinion, assembly and association.”
“Bato dela Rosa is doing this in tandem with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which first came out with this ‘terrorist grooming’ notion as soon as they realized the extent of public indignation unleashed against corrupt government officials and contractors who have raked in billions of pesos from anomalous flood control projects,” added Palabay. “It is their way of preventing the public, especially the youth, from delving deep and discovering inadvertently that the rot of bureaucratic corruption infests the entire governmental system.”
“Youth organizations are enjoined to strongly oppose the stepped-up repression from the NTF-ELCAC and the likes of Bato dela Rosa, who obviously have the youth in their crosshairs,” said Palabay. “KARAPATAN fully supports the youth in their endeavor to counter all sinister attempts by State forces to suppress their rights and freedoms.”
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.