The National Task Force to End Local Communist Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was again put in the spotlight as lawmakers questioned Thursday, August 26, the necessity of increasing its funds amid the persisting problem of COVID-19.

At the start of the House of Representatives deliberations on the P5.024-trillion proposed national budget for 2022, some congressmen flagged the P28.12-billion allocation for the NTF-ELCAC.

The proposed budget for the anti-insurgency task force was higher by some 12 billion than than its budget this year, with more barangays (villages) set to receive a P20-million allocation each.

"The rationale for the increase is that for 2021, 822 barangays were cleared, so that is the equivalent barangays for the 2021 level, and for 2022 the number of barangays cleared increased to 1,406," Budget Undersecretary Tina Canda explained to the House Committee on Appropriations.

But Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas opposed the raise, noting that government hospitals under the Department of Health (DOH) only received a raise of only P3.6 billion.

She cited for instance the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, whose budget for next year was supposedly slashed by P291 million.

Canda, on the other hand, clarified that even as the increase in the NTF-ELCAC's budget is higher, a total of the P40 billion has been for allocated public hospitals in 2022.

"Hindi naman ito direct response sa pandemic (This would not be a direct response to the pandemic)," Brosas lamented, saying the proposed anti-insurgency funds could be rechanneled for improving COVID-19 testing efforts instead.

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman also shared this view when he inquired on the matter.

In his interpellation, Lagman asked if the P28-billion proposed allocation for the task force, along with the President Duterte's P4.5-billion proposed intelligence fund, is considered part of the government's COVID-19 reponse funds.

"For the NTF-ELCAC, that will, I assume, be just an attribution to the COVID-related response because these are mostly infrastructure projects for cleared barangays," Canda responded.

"I would think that these two are not really for COVID response," Lagman opined.

Kabataan Party List Rep. Sarah Elago joined her colleagues in the House minority bloc.

“The proposed 2022 budget still prioritizes corruption and pork-laden infrastructure and other so-called development projects over urgently needed ‘ayuda’ and more health and life-saving measures," Elago said.

"Mas mataas pa ang pondo ng deadly red-tagger NTF-ELCAC keysa sa lahat ng (Fund for the deadly red-tagger NTF-ELCAC are higher than) education assistance and subsidies," she added.

Canda said she leaves the matter to the "collective wisdom" of the members of the lower house.

During the same hearing, the budget official said a total of P395 billion has been dedicated for various COVID-19 response efforts in the proposed 2022 national budget.

The NTF-ELCAC has previously earned the ire of several lawmakers for accusing progressive groups, activists and volunteers of involvement with communist rebels. Its red-tagging activities has prompted calls for its defunding in 2022.