Bato Dela Rosa says UN rapporteur misinformed about NTF-ELCAC
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has rejected calls made by a United Nations (UN) rapporteur suggesting the abolition of the Philippines’ controversial anti-insurgency task force.
Dela Rosa expressed belief that the UN rapporteur, Ian Fry, was misinformed about the functions of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), when he made a stateemtn that the body is “operating with impunity.”
“That is why we are in a quandary right now…NTF-ELCAC is all about good governance and delivery of basic services to the communities and they are not involved in armed confrontation with the enemies of the state,” Dela Rosa said when he defended the 2024 proposed budget of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) at the Senate plenary on Wednesday, November 15.
“Why are they lambasting the NTF-ELCAC? Maybe they are being fed with wrong information,” the senator stated.
The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief pointed this out when Senator Francis Tolentino sought his comment after Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III inquired about OPAPRU’s mechanism in addressing alleged human rights violations made by the NTF-ELCAC, the office’s attached agency, against members of leftist organizations.
Fry recently ended his 10-day visit to the Philippines after several meetings with different civil society organizations and government officials to discuss the country’s climate change policies.
Dela Rosa said he is dismayed and believes that the UN expert was misinformed about the NTF-ELCAC and was only able to hear the side of leftist groups.
“The correct information should reach them,” he emphasized.
Eventually, OPAPRU’s budget was deemed submitted along with Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA), Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which were all sponsored by Dela Rosa.