A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has called on the public to help the government maintain and protect the hard-won gains against the communist insurgents and its allies.
“The gains are real, but they are fragile if we grow complacent. Peace is not the job of one agency. It is the shared responsibility of a whole nation,” NTF-ELCAC executive director, Undersecretary Ernesto Torres, Jr. said as the anti-communist body celebrated its seventh anniversary.
He also called on all Filipinos for sustained unity and vigilance.
“If we want conflict never to return, if we want communities to remain safe, if we want our children to grow up free from fear, then we must all defend unity, protect peace, and sustain inclusive development,” Torres stressed.
He highlighted the Barangay Development Program (BDP) as a cornerstone of the government’s peace strategy in achieving these gains.
Since 2021, the BDP has delivered P36.82 billion worth of projects to 4,830 formerly conflict-affected barangays, benefiting more than 15.8 million Filipinos.
“Development — not terror — wins. These are real roads, classrooms, water systems, health stations, and livelihood projects that extremists can never provide,” Torres said.
Responding to calls to defund the program, Torres clarified that NTF-ELCAC does not handle BDP funds.
“Barangays identify their needs, local governments implement the projects, and we ensure transparency and strict monitoring,” he said, stressing that “attacking the BDP is an attack on the poorest communities.”
Torres also reported significant gains in reintegration through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and the government’s Amnesty Program.
From 2019 to 2025, a total of 50,907 individuals from various threat groups have returned to the fold of the law, including 15,670 New People’s Army members, and over 10,000 firearms were surrendered nationwide.
“Thousands of former rebels are choosing the path of peace. They are returning to society with restored rights, livelihood, and renewed hope,” Torres said.
“These are not negotiations on paper — these are concrete collapses of armed structures,” he said. (PNA)