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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider NTF-ELCAC's 'low utilization' of funds affects mandate to foster peace in conflict-affected areas -- COA

NTF-ELCAC's 'low utilization' of funds affects mandate to foster peace in conflict-affected areas -- COA

Published Dec 9, 2025 02:03 pm
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) over the "low utilization" of funds that hampers the task force’s mandate of fostering peace in conflict-affected areas and vulnerable communities.
It said that from 2020 to 2024, the NTF-ELCAC had P9.78 million unutilized fund of which P7.64 million had been reverted to the National Treasury from 2020 to 2023.
In its 2024 annual audit report (AAR) on the Department of National Defense (DND), the COA said that the NTF-ELCAC had allotments amounting to P14.34 million and P4.56 million from 2020 to 2024.
The NTF-ELCAC was created in December 2018 with the goal of ending the local communist armed conflict through a whole-of-nation approach.
Through the NTF-ELCAC, the DND was mandated to extend support to other clusters and agencies, particularly on local peace engagement, prevention of recruitment effort, and community mobilization support to the peace process.
However, the COA said its audit team was skeptical about its effectiveness given that the NTF-ELCAC continuously had unutilized fund balances.
It said that in 2020, the NTF-ELCAC reported an unutilized balance of P192,600 and P199,000 in 2021. The figures jumped in 2022 with P3,722,143 and P3,530,582.28 in 2023. In 2024, it also said the number dwindled a bit with P2,133,013.34. From 2020 to 2024, the fund utilization rate was only 31.8 percent, it added.
"The low over-all utilization rate of 31.8 percent indicates inefficiencies in fund administration, and delays or challenges in the timely execution of programs and projects, the COA said.
With P7,644,325.28 returned to the national treasury from 2020 to 2023, the COA said that the NTF-ELCAC caused "missed opportunities" in the achievement of its objectives.
It recommended that the NTF-ELCAC should maximize the utilization of its funds by identifying programs and projects, and ensuring that the objective of attaining inclusive and sustainable peace are implemented to achieve the intended impact.
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