National Security Adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos spearheaded a regional development and security forum (RDSF) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in Tacloban City on Friday, Nov. 11, as the government makes a final push to eliminate the remaining communist groups in the country.

According to the NTF-ELCAC, Carlos and the Joint Regional Task Force 8 (JRTF-8) recognize that Eastern Visayas (Region 8) is the “last bastion of communist insurgency” in the Philippines, hence, the forum in Tacloban City.

“The RDSF aims to engage the LCEs and encourage their participation in the whole-of-government and whole-of-nation efforts to end the local communist armed conflict,” said Carlos, who also serves as the vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC.

The RDSF was a product of Carlos’ previous meeting with the Joint Regional Task Force in Eastern Visayas (JRTF-8) where they discussed the status of insurgency in the region. It was the first leg of the series of convention with the 17 joint Regional Task Forces of NTF-ELCAC.

During the forum, LCEs presented significant updates and current developments in their respective provincial task forces (PTFs) “to aid the formulation of a laser-focused approach” to address the insurgency issues and concerns at community level.

According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the number of guerilla fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) has gone down from 89 in 2018 to 24 as of 2022.

Further, 19 out of 24 remaining guerilla fronts have already been “weakened” due to aggressive military operations and other interventions by the government.

Meanwhile, the status of the implementation of the Barangay Development Program (BDP) in the Eastern Visayas was also discussed during the security forum.

Among the recipients of the BDP in the region include Brgy. Calantiao in the municipality of Bobon; Brgy. Quezon in Catarman; Brgys. Hitapi-an, Nagoocan, and Osang in Catubig; and Brgy. San Miguel in Las Navas – all in the province of Northern Samar.

The BDP is directed to the sustainable rehabilitation and development of 822 barangays that are formerly established as guerilla fronts of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Each barangay us provided with P20 million to build, establish, and facilitate various socio-economic development projects such as farm-to-market roads, school buildings, water and sanitation system, health stations, livelihood projects, rural electrification, housing, vaccination and immunization, and financial assistance.