National Security Adviser Eduardo Año. (PCO)
THE NATIONAL Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will continue to exist due to its effectiveness in combating insurgents and bringing development to formerly “geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas” (GIDAs), the country’s top security adviser said.
“Let me also make it very clear: the NTF-ELCAC will not be abolished. The Task Force remains indispensable—not only as a counter-insurgency mechanism but also as a model of effective government convergence,” National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said in a statement Monday night.
He also noted that the body has been the strategic engine behind community empowerment, peacebuilding, and good governance.
Año, who is also an NTF-ELCAC vice chair, said the agency will continue to uphold these principles under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s orders.
“Under the President’s directive, the NTF-ELCAC will continue to exist, evolve, and strengthen—aligned with the vision of unity, peace, and sustainable development for our nation,” he added.
The Joint Regional Task Forces (JRTFs) and National Clusters of the NTF-ELCAC earlier presented the accomplishments of the whole-of-nation approach against the insurgents during the recently-concluded first quarter accomplishment report on April 24, 25, 30, and May 2.
Guided by the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD) approved by the NTF-ELCAC chairman, who incidentally is the Chief Executive, the JRTFs and National Clusters exhibited improved responsiveness to the current security environment in their existing programs and initiatives aiming to address the root causes of insurgency.
Some of the major efforts highlighted are the successful implementation of the Barangay Development Program and the establishment of Local Amnesty Boards across the country to encourage more members of the insurgents to return to the fold of the law.
Año commended the achievements of JRTFs and National Clusters which contributed to the state’s relentless campaign against terrorism. The NSA emphasized the need to sustain these efforts to address the threat posed by the insurgents and prevent the possibility of their resurgence.
“Recovery efforts by the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) are ongoing and one way of doing this is by exploiting political spaces and elections especially as the midterm polls (are) fast approaching. Let me emphasize: We cannot allow even the slightest room for resurgence,” Año said. (Priam Nepomuceno)
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