Rhelyn Harder
- National Youth Commission (NYC) Chairman Ronald Cardema is asking President Rodrigo Duterte to make an order on withdrawing government scholarship on students suspected of having connections to the leftist movement
- He claimed it was their “duty” to “strengthen” the country and “identify/fight” for those who tried to “crush” the Philippines
- He also claimed that there was an incident where students were allegedly caught as armed rebels fighting against government forces
Ronald Cardema, Chairman of the National Youth Commission (NYC), asked President Rodrigo Duterte to make an order on withdrawing government scholarship of students suspected having a connection to the leftist movement.
On February 19, Tuesday, Cardema specified students who were related with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front (NDF). That is why he asked Pres. Duterte to issue an executive order removing the support of “all rebellious anti-government scholars.”
He also claimed that there was an incident where students were allegedly caught as armed rebels fighting against government forces.
“The Filipino people formed the government to govern, to regulate, to discipline, to collect taxes, and to allocate the Filipino people’s funds into government scholarships & programs. Fighting the government means fighting the majority of the Filipino people,” he said.
Cardema also ordered the officials of the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK), Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and Citizen Army Training (CAT) to report “rebellious anti-government scholars” to the NYC.
He claimed it was their “duty” to “strengthen” the country and “identify/fight” for those who tried to “crush” the Philippines.
“I am directing all pro-government youth leaders of our country…& fellow nationalistic student leaders & youth org leaders in schools & communities, to report…all youth leaders & government scholars who are known in your area as anti-government youth leaders allied with the leftist CPP-NPA-NDF,” he said.
Netizens react
https://twitter.com/caluag_reaction/status/1098139055017975808
https://twitter.com/DanterioAquino/status/1098125082403041280
https://twitter.com/IAmGuammer/status/1098091875083247621
Ronald Cardema uses misleading protest photos to justify removal of student scholarships
Cardema attached 4 photos of violent street assemblies supposedly to show evidence of his proposal
However, these photos are old & it’s also not certain if there were students involved there https://t.co/KCRHbik74I— Dan Santos (@DanSantos8) February 20, 2019
Here's the male counterpart of Mocha: Ronald Cardema, National Youth Commission Chief.
The idiot wants youth leaders to report "rebellious students." Basically, he wants activist students from UP/Ateneo, who exercise their right to protest, to lose their scholarships. TARANTADO!
— Francis Baraan IV (@MrFrankBaraan) February 20, 2019
If there's one UP student who wasted the people's money on his education, it's Ronald Cardema.
— Roentgen (@ronaldgem) February 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/judemangilog/status/1098107906312962048
I join the call for NYC Chair Ronald Cardema to resign. The antithesis of a youth leader, he neither represents young people nor espouses our nation’s values.
— Gideon Lasco (@gideonlasco) February 20, 2019
Ronald Cardema is in a conflict of interest situation. He is the NYC chair but at the same time the chair of a partylist group Duterte Youth whose first nominee happens to be his wife. Shouldn’t he at least take a leave of absence from the NYC out of delicadeza?
— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) February 20, 2019
Youth commissioner clarifies
NYC Chairman Ronald Cardema drew flak after asking President Rodrigo Duterte to sign an executive order revoking scholarships for anti-government students, specifically those allied with the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front.
Panoorin: National Youth Commission Chair Ronald Cardema, nilinaw ang pahayag kaugnay sa panukala na pagtatanggal ng scholarship sa mga estudyante na lalahok sa anti govt rallies. pic.twitter.com/fuv5sXVMSJ
— robert mano (@robertmano47) February 20, 2019
“Remove the government scholarships of anti-government scholars na nagrerebelde na, never did I say na… all street protesters will be removed from their scholarship,” Cardema told reporters.
This was big deal to Cardema as the leader of the Duterte’s Youth movement. Before his appointment to the NYC, he fight against ‘leftist youth groups.’ Once again, he is calling for the coordinated action against leftist groups.
But then, university students and professors had spoken out against previous efforts that linked educational institutions to leftist groups, saying it was a “baseless accusation.”
