THE NATIONAL Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will continue to function under the current administration, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. said earlier this week.
He said NTF-ELCAC should even be strengthened to show former rebels how sincere the government is in ending insurgency.
"Ako nagpapatunay, napakaepektibo ng programang ito. Napakaganda po, ang talagang nangangailangan ng tulong napupunta sa kanila direktamenta ang pera, PHP50,000 ang livelihood, immediate assistance nandoon (I can prove that this program is very effective. It's very good, those who really need help receive the money directly, PHP50,000 for livelihood, immediate assistance is there)," Abalos said during the Senate's deliberation on the 2025 proposed budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
"Nakaagapay pa agad ang iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno kasi gusto na nila (rebels) magbalik-loob. So, para sa akin hindi lang dapat ipagpatuloy ito, lakasan at tutukan pa lalo para ipakita sa kanila di sila magsisisi na naniwala sila na talagang magbagong-buhay sila (Various government agencies immediately provide support because they (rebels) wanted to go back in to the folds of the law. So, for me it should not just continue; it should be strengthened and kept in focus to show them that they won’t regret in believing that they can have a second chance in life)," he added.
Abalos was responding to Senator Robinhood Padilla’s inquiry over reports that the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives is allegedly seeking the abolition of the anti-insurgency body.
The DILG chief clarified, however, that he is not aware of the intentions of the Makabayan bloc.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Marbil also explained to Padilla the significance of the NTF-ELCAC, particularly in informing the public about the government.
"With that (NTF-ELCAC), marami kaming natulungan po dito. And of course it’s also information dissemination, education ng tao natin. Karamihan ng nahuli nating rebelde (With NTF-ELCAC, we have helped a lot. And of course, it's also information dissemination, educating the people. Most of the rebels we captured), they are misinformed," Marbil said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier said the NTF-ELCAC has done more to curb the number of communist rebels through the whole-of-government approach.
He said the task force has been instrumental in giving rebel surrenderers a second chance by providing them livelihood assistance through concerned government agencies.
Since the NTF-ELCAC's creation in 2018, the 89 active New People’s Army (NPA) guerilla fronts have been rendered inconsequential and weakened, with only five remaining, according to National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año.
Abalos, meanwhile, thanked the House of Representatives for the approval of the department’s PHP281.3 billion proposed budget for 2025.
In a separate statement, the DILG chief said these funds are vital in ensuring the implementation of the agency’s programs and projects aimed at maintaining peace, progress, security and order.
“I thank Representative (Luisa Lloren) Cuaresma (and her co-sponsors) for successfully defending DILG’s budget to her colleagues in the House of Representatives. Naiintindihan po natin na kailangan nilang busisiin nang husto ang budget ng Kagawaran dahil pera ito ng bayan (We understand that they need to fully scrutinize the department’s budget since this is the people’s money),’’ Abalos said.
The attached agencies under the DILG include the Office of the Secretary, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Local Government Academy (LGA).
The PNP will get the lion’s share of the agency’s budget at 73.3 percent or PHP206.2 billion, followed by the BFP with PHP31 billion and the BJMP with PHP29.2 billion. (Wilnard Bacelonia with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
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