Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3) — A military official claimed that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is recruiting members in more than 10 universities in Manila through screenings of martial law films.

BGen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the films incite students to rebel against the government.

Parlade named that the schools "notorious for school activism" are projecting President Rodrigo Duterte as an authoritarian like former President Ferdinand Marcos.

He cited the following names: Adamson University, Ateneo de Manila, Caloocan City College, Earist-Eulogio Amang Rodriguez, Emilio Aguinaldo College, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, Lyceum College, Philippine Normal University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda College, University of the East (Recto and Caloocan), University of Makati, University of Manila, University of the Philippines (Manila and Diliman), and the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

He said school boards may not be aware that the CPP is actively recruiting members from these schools.

"What the students don't know is that if the CPP wins in this campaign they will implement what's in the CPP constitution," Parlade said, referring to the CPP's establishment of a "proletarian dictatorship."

One of the schools tagged by Parlade denied the claim.

In a statement released on Twitter, UST Central Student Council President Francis Santos said the AFP report was a "huge allegation," adding it was "outrageous, inappropriate and questionable."

"I believe that as an institution, the AFP must do their due diligence to verify and to ensure the veracity of their intelligence information because it has now put the security of the students and of the university at risk," Santos said.

Meanwhile, STAND UP, which describes itself as an alliance of organizations, fraternities and sororities in UP Diliman also released a statement denouncing the AFP's claim.

In the statement, UP Student Regent Ivy Taroma said, "Instead of responding to the students' clamor for genuine educational reform and a nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented educational system, the Duterte administration responds to those calls with unrestrained state fascism. He has redtagged institutions, youth groups, and individuals and has exposed them to grave peril."

In the same statement, Anakbayan UP Diliman Chairperson Nickolo Domingo also said, "If Duterte wants a Red October, we will make it happen. We will paint the month red with fighting Duterte's tyrannical rule! The broad masses will not hesitate to oust a dictator. We will launch bigger protest actions in the coming days!"

The AFP official previously said at least 10 schools in Manila are gearing up for a "Red October" plot to oust Duterte.

"Ang bago ngayon, ini-incite nila 'yung mga estudyante na umalsa dahil dito sa mga issues na EJK (extrajudicial killings), kaya nagpi-film showing sila," he said.

[Translation: What's new is that they (CPP) are inciting students to rebel because of the issues on extrajudicial killings, that's why they have film showings.]

The CPP, in a earlier statement, denounced the crackdown on opposition protests.

"To tag people's protests as part of a so-called plot is a threat against legitimate people's organizations mounting these democratic mass actions. To misrepresent the broad coalition against tyranny as a mere conspiracy is to make its members open to suppression through state terrorism," it said.