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Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Monday apologized to critics of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) after he made remarks calling them “bwisit” saying he was just venting his frustration during an interview on Sunday morning.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday defended the Senate Committee on Finance’s decision to slash the budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2022 as he took exception to Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s tirades against those who oppose the anti-insurgency task force.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) expressed its support to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) following recent calls to cut the budget and defund the anti-insurgency task force.

Presidential aspirant Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday, Nov. 14 assured he would not support any funding cut in the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)

Senate Finance Committee chief Senator Sonny Angara on Friday said it is still too early to say whether or not the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) should be abolished.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Friday urged newly-appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Dionardo Carlos to review the PNP’s use of its anti-insurgency funds.

Senator Sonny Angara on Thursday, Nov. 11 rejected insinuations made by a colleague that the Senate could be seen as a supporter of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) if the funding for the government’s anti-insurgency task force would suffer drastic cuts.

Opposition Senator Leila de Lima has urged Congress to look into the reported removal of books, pamphlets, research work or any reading material considered by the government as “subversive” from the libraries of state universities.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is asking lawmakers for a P36-million budget for 2022 to support the government’s anti-insurgency task force in its efforts against communist rebels.

Senator Leila de Lima has asked her colleagues to also investigate the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA) utilization of its funds, after state auditors flagged its transfer of over P160 million to the government’s anti-insurgency programs.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday, August 2, scored the Duterte administration’s plan to double the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to P40-billion in the upcoming deliberations of the proposed 2022 national budget saying the amount is clearly an “election giveaway.”

Assistant minority leader and Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Arlene Brosas on Saturday, July 3, said that the resignation of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesman Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. is a “mere attempt to ease the pressure over the increasing public outrage on the red-tagging agency’s P19 billion budget amid the COVID-!9 pandemic.”

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday vowed to oppose next year’s budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), reiterating his belief the budget would be used as a huge “campaign kitty” of the Duterte administration for the 2022 elections.

Opposition senators on Tuesday questioned the designation of six more spokespersons for the administration’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday, May 4 questioned the “speedy” release of P10.6-billion out of the P19-billion controversial budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said he is against defunding the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) despite criticisms over its red-tagging activities.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday, April 26, admitted he was among the senators who voted in favor of the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a presidential task force established to provide a whole-of-nation approach to combat insurgency.