The country’s fight against communist insurgency has been long overdue, and the government’s solution is the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a task force that remains problematic in solving communist uprisings. Agencies like this that create more problems than they solve are better off abolished.
Although NTF-ELCAC is created to defeat local communist terrorist groups and maintain peace in the Philippines, several sectors have called for the agency’s abolishment due to alleged inefficient use of funds and red-tagging. Yet, even when the agency causes more problems than it solves, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his hope that the next administration will continue the function of the NTF-ELCAC.
A letter submitted by the NTF-ELCAC to the Senate Finance Committee on Nov. 8, 2020, showed that the agency has only completed 26 of 2,318 projects. This raises the question, how were the funds executed, given that NTF-ELCAC had a whopping P19.1 billion budget in 2021?
The Senate responded to this issue by reducing the agency budget from P28 billion to P4 billion. However, a quick turn of events happened when the bicameral conference committee agreed to set the agency’s 2022 budget to P17 billion partly because of the consistent persuasion of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a retired police general, to the Senate finance committee to raise the agency’s budget.
Surprisingly, 102nd Infantry Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas said the agency’s budget slash would not significantly affect military operations in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Without the NTF-ELCAC, there will still be a continuous fight against the communist uprising. Nicolas noted that only the Barangay Development Program of the agency, which previously had a P16.4 billion budget, would be affected by the budget slash — a simple problem likely to be solved without the NTF-ELCAC.
Based on NTF-ELCAC’s website, Barangay Development Program is the hallmark program of the agency with the end goal of bringing development to former conflict-ridden communities. Given the 1% completion rate of the NTF-ELCAC’s program, it is dubious to still rely on this agency when, in fact, several agencies are ready to address the concerns of these communities, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The DSWD is mandated to assist not only poor communities but also conflict-affected areas with the end goal to promote peace and development among these communities. Meanwhile, the DILG provides assistance to Local Government Units (LGUs) with the aim to develop their capacity to become resilient in times of crisis. NTF-ELCAC’s mandate is just overlapping with agencies such as DSWD and DILG who are already at the forefront of bringing development to communities.
With all these being said, the budget reduction is only one step toward the call for the agency’s total abolishment. Red-tagging among several organizations also bolsters the need to abolish the NTF-ELCAC.
Red-tagging or red-baiting, as defined in the journal “OBSERVER: A Journal on threatened Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines,” is “the act of labeling, branding, naming, and accusing individuals and/ or organizations of being left-leaning, subversives, communists or terrorists (used as) a strategy...by State agents, particularly law enforcement agencies and the military, against those perceived to be ‘threats’ or ‘enemies of the State’.”
Red-tagging incidents became more evident at the start of 2021 when Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., spokesperson of NTF-ELCAC, mentioned several groups that are so-called inclined toward communist recruitment. In a GMA Interview, Parlade said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has identified at least 18 colleges and universities that are recruitment grounds for communists. Some of these universities include the University of the Philippines (UP), Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, among others. Universities tagged in the list of the AFP condemned such imprudent action of Parlade because the statements of the latter have no sufficient evidence.
Assistant Solicitor-General Marissa de la Cruz-Galandines, during an oral argument on the Senate Committee, called Parlade’s actions an exercise of his “freedom of speech.”
However, under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Philippines is a state party, “freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals.”
This provision means that no one can deny a person his right to speech and expression, among others. However, one must learn to draw the boundary between fair criticism and defamation or damaging one’s reputation. Freedom of speech and of expression is not a license to abuse the integrity of private individuals. So long as there is no sufficient evidence, one cannot simply make his claims.
Cases of red-tagging only underscore that hatred and constant hurtful allegations only lead society away from humanity. If there is one thing that history taught the people, it is that communist insurgency will not grow if there is an effective disperse of opportunities among the Filipino people. Poverty, land reforms, corruption, and many more must first be addressed if the government hopes to solve the communist uprising. Providing the Filipino people with employment alternatives would be a crucial factor to compel people not to join insurgencies.
Furthermore, an instructor of the College of Social Sciences at UP Baguio, Jeraiah Gray, said that violent communism only represents one aspect of the left-wing in the Philippines. Not everyone who is a part of the left is considered a communist insurgent. Some people belonging to such groups also believe that violent revolution is not the only way to change the Philippine government — a constant reminder for the NTF-ELCAC and other agencies.
Ultimately, as the country heads toward development, the seated president must take a firm and wise stand on the issue of the NTF-ELCAC since the progress of a country goes hand in hand with eradicating red-tagging, corruption, among other problems. It would simply be an easy task for the president to continue the function of the NTF-ELCAC with all these revolving issues. Yet, it takes a wise leader to see and realize that the country’s problems cannot be solved if the agency concerned is problematic after all. NTF-ELCAC should be abolished — no more no less.
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