Miriam College decries NTF-ELCAC's use of photos of its students without permission

Miriam College on Wednesday took exception to the use of a photo of its students, who are all minors, by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) without permission.

In a statement, Ambassador Laura del Rosario, the school president, said NTF-ELCAC grabbed the photo from the college website and used it in an online forum it facilitated in January via Facebook Live titled "Para sa Youth PH: The Relaunching."

Del Rosario said the video of the forum was accompanied by a post: "Makakasama natin ang mga student leaders mula sa iba’t-ibang unibersidad upang talakayin ang isyu sa Redtagging, DND-UP Agreement, at Anti-Terror Act of 2020.”

"It has reached our attention that a cropped group photo of our high school students was used in one of the presentations of the said online forum. Please be informed that this photo was grabbed, without permission, from our school’s official website," del Rosario said.

She said the students in the photo represented MC in an international competition held at Yale University in the United States in 2019 and were accompanied by their teachers.

"In compliance with Data Privacy Act and Children’s Rights, our school sought permission from their parents/legal guardians to take and upload their photos on our school’s website because they are minors and are only completing high school education in Miriam College."

Upon knowledge of the said forum, Del Rosario said they sent a letter to NTF-ELCAC on Monday, asking the agency to immediately remove the photo of their students in the online forum it organized.

"We asked them to exercise caution and discretion in uploading photos on social media especially those that involve minors," she added.

In January this year, Lieutenant General  Antonio Parlade Jr., the task force's spokesperson, named some top universities and colleges in the country as alleged hotbeds of communist recruitment.

NTF-ELCAC has come under fire from several senators due to its red-tagging of individuals and groups without solid proof.  Some senators seeking the removal of the group's P16-billion budget.

Del Rosario said MC, through its Center for Peace Education, is "an institution that is seriously committed to promoting peace in our homes, schools, and communities."

"We advocate peace concepts and values and believe in peaceful conflict resolution and peer mediation."

"These are all integrated into selected courses and curriculum to inspire our students to likewise become promoters of peace."—Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News