MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has criticized attempts to cut its funding, warning that such actions would negatively impact the disadvantaged communities it supports. NTF-ELCAC’s executive director, Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., emphasized the achievements of the task force’s Barangay Development Program (BDP) over the past six years, claiming it has accomplished more than the communist movement did in over fifty years.
Torres highlighted the BDP’s role in addressing the root causes of civil unrest, rebuilding communities, and fostering development in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). He accused the Makabayan Bloc of misrepresenting the task force as a tool for harassing activists, despite its efforts to bring essential services like roads, schools, and health centers to these communities.
Torres defended the NTF-ELCAC’s management of BDP funds, clarifying that they are handled by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and monitored by civil society organizations to prevent misuse. He argued that defunding the task force would leave vulnerable communities susceptible to the empty promises of a failed revolution, undermining the progress made in uplifting these areas.