Exec: NTF-ELCAC budget hikefor sustainability, not poll-related

November 18, 2024

The government’s anti-insurgency body assured that there is nothing to worry about regarding its increased 2025 budget, which some sectors fear might be used for next year's midterm elections.

“To speculate that SBDP (Support to Barangay Development Program) or any of the task force's initiatives might become a "cash cow" for election-related misuse insults the efforts of the many stakeholders and peace advocates who gave their time, talents, and in some cases, risked their lives to achieve our shared goals,” said Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr., Executive Director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

In a statement reacting to an editorial piece titled “Ill-advised, ill-timed, ill-informed,” published on Inquirer.net on November 15, Torres vowed that stringent and necessary processes and monitoring are in place, and the multi-level coordination ensures that there is check and balance in all aspects of the SBDP implementation.

For SBDP 2024, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved increasing the P2.5 million allocation for each of the 864 barangay beneficiaries to P7.5

million because the P2.5 million would "hardly make an impact in terms of development."

He likewise supports the allocation of P10M for each of the 780

barangays under SBDP.

“So far, the task force has seen only one national and one mid-term election, during which none of its efforts were flagged for fund diversion,” the Nov. 17 statement read.

He said that anyone with experience in implementing projects and programs directly funded by the national government knows, more often than not, that the procurement, utilization, and implementation processes take time, especially with late fund releases.

“Nevertheless, the task force works hard to ensure that the execution is well within the required implementing period,” he said. “Regarding transparency and accountability, the NTF-ELCAC has intensified efforts to enhance fund utilization and project implementation.

He added: “We continue to address past deficiencies, as evidenced by reforms in monitoring, reporting, and inter-agency collaboration. These measures ensure that every peso is accounted for and benefits the intended recipients.”

The budget, Torres said, reflects a broader national strategy addressing multiple threats, including external security concerns in the West Philippine Sea.

“Development in former conflict areas is a cornerstone of a comprehensive national security policy because it fortifies the country from the inside and reduces vulnerabilities that adversaries might exploit,” the statement read.

Sustainability

He said the NTF-ELCAC functions on the idea that insurgency thrives in conditions of poverty, inequality, and neglect.

“To peace advocates across the country, these interventions are not mere allocations of our precious national resources; they are strategic investments for stability and growth,” he added.

The full implementation of the whole-of-nation approach with the creation of NTF-ELCAC in 2018 was aimed at addressing the long-standing issue of communist violence in the Philippines.

He said that before this initiative, the country faced the challenge of dealing with 89 guerilla fronts and widespread aboveground support for over five decades.

Read full statement here: https://www.ntfelcac.org/post/sustaining-our-peace-gains

NTF-ELCAC MEDIA BUREAU

Ref: Dr. Joel M. Sy Egco, PhD, MPSA

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