PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police are working with other agencies to craft intervention measures to protect students from being lured into joining armed clashes.
He issued the statement after the death of a UP Diliman student who was among those who died after the clashes between soldiers and communist rebels in Toboso, Negros Occidental.
He noted that rebel recruitment has become “more subtle,” using immersion and cause-oriented messaging, making detection harder.
To counter this, Nartatez ordered community-focused police visibility in Negros and nearby provinces, alongside an aggressive information campaign in schools and barangays to expose tactics used on social media.
The PNP said it views the Commission on Human Rights’ probe into the recent student death in Negros as an opportunity for further analysis. (Aaron Recuenco)
