MANILA, Philippines —  The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) has withdrawn its membership from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) shed 0.49 percent, or 36.67 points, to close at 7,400.33.

The council said they formally asked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. last January 30 to terminate their membership in the task force.

Article continues after this advertisement “After further consultation among its member associations and upon review of its core advocacies, COCOPEA has opted to strengthen its education initiatives by preserving its collaborative role outside of a formal membership in the NTF-ELCAC,” COCOPEA said in a statement released Sunday evening.

The council also said they remain steadfast in their role as an independent non-government organization that represents the interests and concerns of private education as it seeks to uphold quality education in the country.

“As a council of education associations composed of diverse members from faith-based mission schools to nonsectarian schools, universities, colleges, and tech-voc institutes, COCOPEA’s withdrawal from the task force is of utmost significance in preserving the essentiality of academic freedom and the vital role it plays in a democratic society,” it also said.

The COCOPEA noted that, even after their withdrawal from NTF-ELCAC, they will remain as one with the task force’s goal to achieve peace and socioeconomic growth.

“COCOPEA will continue to represent the private education sector in dialogues with the task force on matters that align with its goals and objectives,” it added.

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