Sustaining our Peace Gains

November 18, 2024

Important questions have recently been raised about the increase in budget allocation for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), particularly for the Support to Barangay Development Program [PDI: Ill-advised, ill-timed, ill-informed, 11/15/2024].

The NTF-ELCAC operates on the principle that insurgency thrives in environments 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. It must always be noted that prior to the full implementation of the whole-of-nation approach and the task force's creation in 2018, our country had been plagued by an 89-guerilla-front-strong communist violence with widespread aboveground support for more than five decades. Six years later, we are now down to four weakened guerilla fronts; have closed down 115 hubs of terror grooming masquerading as schools; and completed more than 4,800 Barangay Development Program (BDP) projects in vulnerable communities.

Anyone who has had experience in implementing projects and programs directly from the national coffers know that more often than not, the procurement, utilization and implementation processes take time, especially with belated releases of funds. Nevertheless, the task force works hard to ensure that the execution is well within the required implementing period.

To say that the task force has lost its relevance on the basis that insurgency has been rendered a "spent force" oversimplifies the present challenges in sustaining our peace gains. Our security sector has indeed significantly reduced the armed strength of the communist terror group. Nevertheless, isolated remnants and their urban-based networks continue to exploit poverty and underdevelopment in vulnerable communities to recoup strength. The SBDP helps these communities become resilient to re-infiltration by ensuring access to opportunities for sustainable development.

Regarding transparency and accountability, the NTF-ELCAC has intensified efforts to enhance fund utilization and project implementation. 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.

It must also be stressed that the budget 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.

On the issue of so-called red-tagging, the NTF-ELCAC unequivocally supports the protection of human rights and the rule of law. Hence, we have sustained public information campaigns against terror grooming and the glorification of violence to further exploitative political aims. We adhere to legal protocols in our activities and cooperate with independent oversight mechanisms. Our constructive dialogue and collaboration with stakeholders, as exemplified by the numerous socio-civic, religious, and academic organizations that have partnered with us over the years, continue to be a priority in addressing concerns and dispelling misconceptions about the task force's importance.

Lastly, to speculate that SBDP 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. The stringent but necessary processes and monitoring that are in place and the multi-level coordination ensures that there is check and balance in all aspects of the the SBDP's implementation. 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 NTF-ELCAC’s mandate is to end the cycle of violence and neglect that has hindered national progress and nurtured communist-led violence for decades. We have our leaders (past and present) to thank for rightly providing continuous support to sustain the program and seeing it not as an expense but a commitment to securing the peace and development that Filipinos deserve.

USec. Ernesto C. Torres Jr.

Executive Director, NTF-ELCAC