'Whe time is right' NTF-ELCAC will be 'peace and security council' -- DOJ
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will eventually be "a peace and security council when the time is right."
Department of Justice (DOJ) Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV issued the statement in response to the call aired by United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to abolish the NTF-ELCAC.
On top of the abolition of the task force, Khan also pushed for legislation against red-tagging which NTF-ELCAC has been accused of also committing.
“Ngayon ang gusto natin mawala ‘yung guerilla front, violence na nakikita natin sa Mindanao (At the moment we want to eliminate the guerilla fronts and the violence that we see in Mindanao),” Clavano said.
“Eventually magkakaroon rin tayo ng peace and security council na ‘yung purpose naman talaga is to maintain the peace that we have achieved so far (Eventually we will have a peace and security council which has the purpose of of maintaining peace that we have achieved so far),” he said.
On red-taggng, Clavano said: “I think the first step we have to take here is to define the crime dahil sa criminal law kasi kung hindi natin alam kung ano ang bawal hindi pwede maging criminal law ‘yun dahil that will create a chilling effect (because in criminal law, if we don’t know what is not allowed, it cannot become a criminal law because it will create a chilling effect).”
“So we have to first define the metes and bounds of this so-called crime itong red-tag (this red-tagging) and then turn it into law,” he added.
During her recent dialogue with officials of the DOJ, Clavano recounted that Khan raised the issue of red-tagging.
However, Clavano said Khan herself admitted there has been no definition of what red-tagging is.