Marcos Jr. urged: Revisit NTF-ELCAC

CEBU, Philippines — The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition urges the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to critically reassess the function and operations of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

NAGKAISA's call comes in the wake of a recommendation from UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to dissolve the body.

According to NAGKAISA, Khan observed during her visit to the Philippines that NTF-ELCAC has been consistently blamed for red-tag civilians and organizations, labeling them as communists and thus raising serious human rights concerns, including violations on freedom of association.

NAGKAISA concurs with the Special Rapporteur's emphasis on the urgent need for the Philippine government to dismantle the task force and modernize its approach to peace-building, advocating for a more inclusive platform that avoids counterproductive tactics of communist tagging.

Senator Imee Marcos, on the other hand, scoffed at the "supremely presumptuous" call of Khan to dismantle NTF-ELCAC.

“After a mere 10 days in the Philippines, during which she never visited the NTF barangays but only met a chosen few witnesses, she has the knowledge and the right to tell the Philippine government what to do?" Marcos asked in a separate statement.

“Not only are these foreigners meddlesome and out of their depth, she has also threatened that the Philippines' "ambitious" plan to lead the UN Commission on the Status of Women and obtain a seat on the UN Security Council depends on conforming with her "findings." Why exactly did we invite her anyway?" the senator added.

However, Marcos also said Khan's call was "hardly surprising, given her long-standing Amnesty International bias."

The senator believes that dismantling the NTF-ELCAC would be "counter-productive, even dangerous."

The senator said many of the rebels have peacefully returned to the fold of the law and the government has practically won against the communist insurgency, with only about 1,800 rebels left, according to the military and police.

“It is important that we maintain the NTF-ELCAC's presence and strengthen its mandate to continue the peaceful rehabilitation of rebel returnees," the senator further said.