DAVAO CITY – Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso Magno backed the efforts of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to end the communist armed conflict in the country.
PRESIDENTIAL Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso Magno (eighth from left) poses with other government officials during the fifth anniversary of the NTF-ELCAC in Davao City. (FB)
Magno, who joined the fifth anniversary of the NTF-ELCAC on December 4 in Quezon City, agreed that with the NTF-ELCAC’s aid and development for communities affected by the armed conflict, achieving peace in conflict areas is not far-fetched.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant for Mindanao-Eastern (OPAMINE) official vowed to meet the needs of the rebel returnees and their supporters in his areas of responsibility (AOR) and assured he is keen to stop them from rejoining the armed struggle.
Magno said that attaining peace is not solely the duty of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. Society, as a whole, he said, has a part to play, and urged everyone to recognize and fulfill their roles in achieving peace.
Leading the event was National Security Adviser and NTF-ELCAC vice chairman, Secretary Eduardo Año, with Special Assistant to the President, Secretary Anton Lagdameo, representing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.
Vice President Sara Duterte, in a statement on the event, disagreed with Marcos’ amnesty for communist rebels.
Duterte said that historical evidence indicates insincerity on the part of the communist rebels in their pursuit of peace. She added that this group exploits organizations to betray the government and mislead the public.