TACLOBAN CITY – Maj. Gen. Edgardo De Leon, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, expressed hope that the next president will continue to implement the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
He said the Support to the Barangay Development Program (SBDP) will be highly dependent upon the incoming administration.
"We are all praying, particularly in the Armed Forces of the Philippines because we are the ones who worked for the national government to give additional funds to (insurgency) affected barangays," he shared.
SBDP is a flagship program of NTF-ELCAC, which aims to address insurgency by bringing sustainable projects and basic services to communities such as farm-to-market roads, water and sanitation systems, health stations, school buildings, electrification, assistance to poor families, and agricultural and livelihood training assistance.
De Leon also encouraged voters to examine the stands of the presidential candidates on issues connected with the insurgency.
"There are no more threats because the local government units are already capacitated to protect the International Humanitarian Law among civilians as part of the NTF-ELCAC, so whoever the candidate is, we hope that he or she will continue this program," he said.
He cited the gains of over 200 previously conflict-stricken barangays identified as BDP recipients will reap to reject the ideology of the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
As of this writing, at least six villages in Northern Samar are implementing 35 projects for 2021.