Senator Panfilo M. Lacson on Thursday, Sept. 9 said a proposed 2022 P29 billion budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP ‘’’is a bit too much.’’
This is P12.6 billion more than the current P16.4 billion budget for the AFP’s anti-insurgency program although the AFP said the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has only 3,500 armed regulars, Lacson said.
Lacson, chairman of the Senate National Defense and Security committee, said the P16.4 billion was not spent correctly.
‘’To make matters worse di nagagamit nang tama (was not used correctly) as there are LGUs (local government units) nabigyan ng pondo (not given funds),’’ he said.
Lacson pointed out that Davao City was given P1.5 billion but Davao city Mayor Sara herself said they do not want the NTF-ELCAC funds because there were no surrenderees in her city.
‘’Sa Davao Norte 2000 surrendereesn(In Davao Norte, there were 2,000 surrenderees but) zero ang NTF-ELCAC (but zero in NTF-ELCAC funds),’’ he added.
As a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Lacson said the NTF-ELCAC is ‘’a good concept’’ but the implementation phase generates problems.
‘’"Sa distribution mali na (wrong). P28 to P29 billion is too much. Di nila kaya, absorptive capacity (It does not have the absorptive capacity),’’ he stressed.
"We have to scrutinize, look at itemized budgeting for NTF-ELCAC. And they will have to justify,’’ he added.
Congress is now scrutinizing the proposed 2022 P5 trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Asked whether he has any regrets in supporting the NTF-ELCAC due to its implementation, Lacson said he has frustrations with the NTF-ELCAC ‘’because of what I’ve been hearing from other LGUs (local government units)."
"ATL (Anti-Terror Law) I don’t have any regrets at all... a good law implemented by a bad government that’s another matter. Why blame the law itself? Maglagay tayo ng (we put) checks and balances,’’ he added.
The AFP leadership had said that defunding the NTF-ELCAC would simply allow communities to be exploited by the CPP/NPA.
In replying to call by some senators to defund the NTF-ELCAC, then NTF-ELCAC spokesman Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. had asked:
“Do our senators really want this insurgency to go on by defunding the NTF ELCAC? Do we want more civilians killed by these NPAs? Do we not want these NPA rebels to go back to the fold of the law instead by continuing with our NTF ELCAC programs like E-CLIP and Localized Peace Engagement?“
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