NTF-ELCAC won't be abolished by PBBM – security exec
Published May 6, 2023 05:38 am
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has no plans to dismantle the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as he is committed to end the country's five-decades-old problem on communist insurgency.
(National Security Council Asst. Director-General Jonathan Malaya / File photo)
This was stressed by National Security Council (NSC) Asst. Director-General Jonathan Malaya on Saturday, May 6, as he slammed calls made by certain sectors to abolish the government’s primary anti-communist unit after Marcos issued Executive Order No. 23 last month.
“The National Security Council, which serves as Vice Chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, wishes to put on record that there are no plans whatsoever to dismantle the NTF-ELCAC,” Malaya said in a statement.
“Nowhere does it state in Executive Oder No. 23 that the NTF-ELCAC will be abolished or dismantled,” he emphasized.
EO No. 23 was issued by Malacanang on April 30 to reinforce and protect the freedom of association and right to organize of workers, and create an inter-agency committee to strengthen coordination and expedite the investigation, prosecution, and resolution of cases or violations of such.
But House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro reportedly said on Friday, May 5, that workers are still under threat despite the issuance of EO 23 since NTF-ELCAC is still not abolished and continues to be funded by the national government.
Castro, according to reports, accused the NTF-ELCAC of red-tagging organized workers “and almost anyone it perceives as critical of the government,” which is why she believes that EO No. 23 will remain as a "mere scrap of paper."
For his part, Malaya said that EO No. 23 has nothing to do with the creation or abolishment of NTF-ELCAC since the unit was formed by virtue of Executive Order No. 70 which was issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2018.
Malaya said that the two executive issuances “relate to different topics” as EO No. 23 relates to the protection of the freedom of association and the right to organize of workers while EO No. 70 refers to the institutionalization of the whole-of-nation approach to attain a sustainable peace and adoption of a national peace framework.
He said that Marcos, who also sits as the chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, has no intention to abolish the task force since he “is firmly committed to the whole-of-nation approach to finally ending the communist terrorism in the country.”
“He, in fact, has directed the task force to intensify its efforts since we have already attained strategic victory over the CPP-NPA-NDF [Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front],” Malaya said.
According to the security official, 75 percent of all NPA guerilla fronts have been dismantled as only 22 out of the original 89 fronts remain existing amid the government’s campaign against communist insurgency.
Out of the 22 remaining guerilla fronts, Malaya said 20 are already “weakened” due to the neutralization of their leaders and members while the two others are now the subject of focused military operations and development initiatives by the NTF-ELCAC.
“The President’s marching orders to the NTF-ELCAC is clear: sustain the whole-of-nation approach to peace and development to prevent communist terrorists, their front organizations, and other lawless elements from recruiting, regrouping, and regaining power,” Malaya said.
(National Security Council Asst. Director-General Jonathan Malaya / File photo)
This was stressed by National Security Council (NSC) Asst. Director-General Jonathan Malaya on Saturday, May 6, as he slammed calls made by certain sectors to abolish the government’s primary anti-communist unit after Marcos issued Executive Order No. 23 last month.
“The National Security Council, which serves as Vice Chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, wishes to put on record that there are no plans whatsoever to dismantle the NTF-ELCAC,” Malaya said in a statement.
“Nowhere does it state in Executive Oder No. 23 that the NTF-ELCAC will be abolished or dismantled,” he emphasized.
EO No. 23 was issued by Malacanang on April 30 to reinforce and protect the freedom of association and right to organize of workers, and create an inter-agency committee to strengthen coordination and expedite the investigation, prosecution, and resolution of cases or violations of such.
But House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro reportedly said on Friday, May 5, that workers are still under threat despite the issuance of EO 23 since NTF-ELCAC is still not abolished and continues to be funded by the national government.
Castro, according to reports, accused the NTF-ELCAC of red-tagging organized workers “and almost anyone it perceives as critical of the government,” which is why she believes that EO No. 23 will remain as a "mere scrap of paper."
For his part, Malaya said that EO No. 23 has nothing to do with the creation or abolishment of NTF-ELCAC since the unit was formed by virtue of Executive Order No. 70 which was issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2018.
Malaya said that the two executive issuances “relate to different topics” as EO No. 23 relates to the protection of the freedom of association and the right to organize of workers while EO No. 70 refers to the institutionalization of the whole-of-nation approach to attain a sustainable peace and adoption of a national peace framework.
He said that Marcos, who also sits as the chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, has no intention to abolish the task force since he “is firmly committed to the whole-of-nation approach to finally ending the communist terrorism in the country.”
“He, in fact, has directed the task force to intensify its efforts since we have already attained strategic victory over the CPP-NPA-NDF [Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front],” Malaya said.
According to the security official, 75 percent of all NPA guerilla fronts have been dismantled as only 22 out of the original 89 fronts remain existing amid the government’s campaign against communist insurgency.
Out of the 22 remaining guerilla fronts, Malaya said 20 are already “weakened” due to the neutralization of their leaders and members while the two others are now the subject of focused military operations and development initiatives by the NTF-ELCAC.
“The President’s marching orders to the NTF-ELCAC is clear: sustain the whole-of-nation approach to peace and development to prevent communist terrorists, their front organizations, and other lawless elements from recruiting, regrouping, and regaining power,” Malaya said.