Abolition of NTF-ELCAC up to PBBM – lawmakers 

Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday said the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is a decision that is purely up to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

In a daily press briefing at House of Representatives, Isabela Rep. Faustino “Inno” Dy V, Manila Rep. Ernesto “Ernix” Dionisio Jr., and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre all said that dismantling the NTF-ELCAC is the President’s prerogative after the Supreme Court ruled that red-tagging is a threat to people’s lives, liberty and security.

“I trust the decision of the President, also the Executive, in regard to the abolishment or not of the NTF-ELCAC … We leave it up to the Executive to decide kung papano po or how do they go about with proceeding with the NTF-ELCAC program,” Dy said.

For Dionisio, with the landmark SC decision declaring red-tagging as a threat, he encouraged government agencies such as NTF-ELCAC to do their job without trampling on people’s rights.

“Of course, it’s the President’s decision kung anong magiging hakbang niya tungo dito. In doing so, sa lahat ng ginagawa ng every agency, ay dapat lang naman maalala na wala tayong dapat matapakan na karapatan ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino in doing the job na kailangang gawin ng NTF-ELCAC,” Dionisio said.

After the SC decision, there was a clamor for Marcos to abolish the NTF-ELCAC, which the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives said was guilty of red-tagging Filipino citizens.

Acidre said the President may be weighing his actions on the calls as the matter is not as simple as it sounds.

“Duon naman sa pagbuwag ng NTF-ELCAC, I think the President is proceeding with more caution, the way I read it, Malacañang is proceeding with caution conscientiously with how to deal with the insurgency problem,” Acidre noted.

“They have not definitely acted and given that this a policy decision of the Executive. Ang Congress naman will surely support whatever will benefit, whatever would produce the results na kailangan para mas maging manatili iyong pang matagalang pangkapayapaan at matapos na ang insurgency sa ating bansa,” he added.

The three lawmakers said that NTF-ELCAC is a government agency that deals with insurgents and local terrorist groups, and undertakes projects in the provinces to discourage people from supporting communist rebels.

Dy said in his province of Isabela, the NTF-ELCAC has helped many isolated barangays.

“Sa amin po nagkaroon kami ng problema sa ganito, Isabela marami po kaming armed conflict dati. Definitely nabawasan na po ito, kumonti na, but it still exists in certain parts of the country. So iyon po completely ang gusto nating mawala and there have been successes with the NTF-ELCAC,” Dy said.

Dionisio agreed that the said agency has an important role to play.

“There is really an important role that the NTF-ELCAC plays. But it's just a balance. Hindi naman puwedeng alisin totally pero dapat maproteksiyunan lang iyong mga rights ng ating kababayan,” Dionisio said.

For Acidre, he said that it is also the duty of the state to protect the people as what NTF-ELCAC is doing.

“There are reasons na minsan ang red-tagging really results in a threat to the security of certain person, but it has also to be balanced sa tungkulin din ng estado na siguraduhin ang kapakanan ng mas nakakarami,” Acidre said. (END)

———— MULA SA KAMARA DE REPRESENTANTES, TERENCE MORDENO GRANA, NAG-UULAT PARA SA ARMED FORCE RADIO, BOSES NG KAWAK PILIPINO ————— This is Terence Mordeno Grana, reporting for AFP Community News, One AFP for Stronger Philippines.